The “nightmare neighbor” accused of terrorizing his black neighbors was seen flashing a smile as he was escorted into a New York City courtroom for a bail hearing on Wednesday.
Steven Attanasso, 68, is said to have scrawled 'n*****' on his door and his disturbing behavior has been filmed several times.
He lives in the Ebbets Field apartment complex in Brooklyn and has been caught on surveillance camera threatening to kill and burn his neighbors — and in one instance was seen brandishing a knife.
Cameras from DailyMail.com captured him standing before Kings County Judge Danny Chun High Council in downtown Brooklyn.
Attanasso occasionally smiled for the cameras as he was brought in to find out if he would be released on bail.
Steven Attanasso, the 'nightmare neighbor' accused of terrorizing his black neighbors, smiled as he was escorted into a New York City courtroom for a bail hearing on Wednesday
Cameras from DailyMail.com captured Attanasso standing before Judge Danny Chun at Kings County Supreme Court in downtown Brooklyn
He was provisionally denied bail because he attempted to pay with a credit card and was returned to Rikers' Island.
However, the judge told him that if he could pay the $50,000 bail in cash, he would be released.
The charges against him include making terroristic threats as a hate crime, meaning it is motivated by racial bias, and also face charges of harassment, weapons possession and disorderly conduct.
In September, the 68-year-old appeared to show no remorse for the alleged crimes as he pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer argued that it was in fact his neighbors who harassed him, describing the “notorious racist” as “vulnerable, not dangerous and should be sent home pending trial.”
“He wants to go back to his house, he wants to stay away from his neighbors,” lawyer Morris Shamuil said in court.
Judge Chun sided with the prosecutor, who urged the judge to set bail and order Attanasso to stay away from his own apartment building.
“He did say he was going to burn and kill all the neighbors,” prosecutor Sharmalee Brooks said.
He was denied bail for the time being because he tried to pay with a credit card and return to Rikers' Island
Attanasso was told by Judge Chun that he would be released if he could post cash
Steven Attanasso, 68, who is suspected of arson and accused of terrorizing his black neighbors, has been ordered to stay away from his New York City apartment as he faces new hate crime charges
Judge Chun set bail at $50,000, but it remains unclear whether Attanasso would be able to pay that amount
Attanasso, who scrawled “n*****” on his door and had his disturbing behavior filmed several times, was charged in a grand jury indictment unsealed Monday in Supreme Court in downtown Brooklyn.
Judge Chun said there was a 'complete stay-away order' in place, meaning the suspect could only return home to collect his belongings under police supervision.
The 68-year-old's lawyer appealed to the judge to reconsider the case, explaining that this would leave Attanasso homeless.
However, it was a relief for neighbors, who have resorted to bizarre methods to stay safe.
“I slept with a fire extinguisher next to my bed,” said neighbor Tony Armstrong.
“Who wants to live under the threat of violence because of the color of your skin?”
The horrific behavior was first exposed by the NBC New York I-Team as the NYPD investigated a fatal arson in April in which Attanasso is the prime suspect.
For more than a year, neighbors have documented Attanasso's unhinged behavior, including how they caught him on camera waving a knife through the hallways, slamming doors with a hammer and shouting racial slurs.
“He'll scream, 'Ahhh, fuck you n****s, I'm going to kill you,'” a neighbor named Raquel revealed to the outlet during their investigation.
The news report revealed that neighbors had been calling 911 for nearly a year about Attanasso's alleged threats and violent behavior.
In April, Attanasso was caught on tape saying, “Black people, we are going to burn you. Right now you're really brown, when we're done with you, you'll be black'
Three days later, police said a suspicious fire was set in the hallway using a mattress from Attanasso's apartment. He is the only suspect in the investigation, but no charges have been filed.
Despite multiple arrests and trips to a psychiatric hospital, the nightmare neighbor was released each time.
The fire led to the death of 66-year-old black veteran Roderick Coley
In April, Attanasso was caught on tape saying, “Black people, we are going to burn you. Right now you're really brown, when we're done with you you'll be black.”
Three days later, police told the outlet that a suspicious fire had been started in the hallway using a mattress from Attanasso's apartment.
The fire led to the death of 66-year-old black veteran Roderick Coley. The NYPD has said Attanasso is their only suspect in the case, but no arson charges have been filed because there were no eyewitnesses, multiple law enforcement sources told the I-Team.
Neighbors said they “lived in fear” because there “never seemed to be any consequences.”
“I'm not holding my breath because will this be just like it was the last time? He went in for a few hours and then came out,” Beverly Newsome, president of a tenants association, told the newspaper.
The case is still under investigation.