Accused $1 million squatter offers astonishing excuse at court after terrifying video shows him barge into NYC home with rightful owner inside
The New York man accused of breaking into a $1 million home and even making money by renting out bedrooms to others gave a stunning excuse in court over a video that shows him storming into the house while its rightful owner is still inside.
Brian “Jay” Rodriguez appeared in Queens Criminal Court again on Monday, nearly three months after he was charged with burglary, theft and other crimes for illegally occupying Adele Andalaro’s home.
Rodriguez, dressed in navy blue pants and a blue shirt, entered the courtroom with composure, his mother, who walked with a cane, at his side.
He told DailyMail.com he had “done nothing wrong” and appeared confident the lawyers would sort it out.
“It was a lease that someone gave me. It’s a fake now, sort of. I didn’t know that at the time,” he insisted outside the courtroom.
“I wasn’t hiding in the house.”
Brian “Jay” Rodriguez was back in Queens Criminal Court on Monday, appearing calm as he walked with his mother. In April, he was charged with burglary, aggravated robbery and other crimes, accused of illegally occupying the Flushing home of Adele Andalaro’s family
Adele Andalaro, pictured outside her Roslyn Heights home, inherited the single-family home in Queens and was furious when she discovered squatters had taken it over
Ironically, Rodriguez is now under house arrest, has a GPS ankle bracelet and is only allowed outside for work and court appearances.
The ordeal began in February, when Andalaro went to her home, which she had inherited from her parents, to find that the front door and locks had been changed. Squatters had moved in and refused to leave.
Shocked, Andalaro confronted Rodriguez, yelling at him that he had “stole her house.” An explosive confrontation ensued, with Rodriguez at one point attempting to break down the front door.
In a bizarre twist, it was Andalaro who was handcuffed and arrested when police arrived. Video of the arrest went viral and made national headlines, with many outraged that squatters appeared to have more rights than legal owners.
Rodriguez spoke out about the confrontation on Monday, stressing that he “never ignored Ms. Andalaro.”
“It wasn’t that I was yelling at her. That video made me look like an animal and I wasn’t,” he explained.
“I didn’t realize she was behind the door,” he explained. “There were other boys in the house, that’s just how the media portrayed me.”
Rodriguez, of East Flushing, initially faced a 15-year prison sentence, but that has since been reduced to 1.5 to 3 years.
Andalaro’s home in Flushing, Queens, where Rodriguez lived and rented rooms
When he was called to testify, Queens Judge Toni Cimino asked, “What’s the purpose of this? I don’t know what the purpose of today’s appearance is.”
Defense attorney Nicholas Dayan told the judge that he was only assigned to the case a week ago (Rodiguez’s previous attorney was Gerald Levine) and that his client is “not interested in a plea at this time” and is prepared to go to trial.
The judge said his client must ensure he is not “arrested again” and must appear in court again on August 7.
District Attorney Melinda Katz said this in April when the charges were announced.
“Criminal charges are filed if you unlawfully occupy someone else’s home. You can’t just enter a home without permission, stay without permission, and then claim acquired rights later, just because the rightful owner is unaware and hasn’t been able to remove you for 30 days,” she said.
‘The suspect in this case allegedly entered the house unlawfully and remained there. He has now been charged with burglary and aggravated robbery.’
Rodriguez maintained Monday that he is innocent and a victim himself.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. There’s enough evidence. The police camera shows everything I did,” he insisted.
Rodriguez stands with his mother in the Queens courthouse on Monday, ready to appear in court
He pleaded not guilty and told DailyMail.com he had ‘done nothing wrong’
His lawyer told DailyMail.com that Rodriguez approached him to represent him after he was the lawyer for two of his friends, both of whom faced criminal charges and were acquitted.
“He told me why he hired me. He said I helped two of his friends. It was criminal and it was worse [than Rodriguez’s case].
The attorney called the case “interesting,” saying that after he read the indictment and indicated that he was being charged under a criminal provision.
“That’s exactly how they get to a felony in this burglary case: they say he took stuff from the house that he wasn’t in, so I’m going to see if I can get the highest charge dropped through a motion, if they don’t have that in the law in this case.”
He further stated, “Right now, the offer is a year and a half to three years. There have been no motions filed. They have not filed the certificate of compliance — meaning they have not given us all of their discovery and the law in that particular case is that we do not have to file our motions until they certify the case.”
Dayan said there is still work to be done, but his plan is to ensure Rodriguez “doesn’t get jail time.”
The Queens District Attorney’s Office told DailyMail.com that the “case is still pending.”
“We have no further comment beyond our April press release,” a spokesperson said.