A homeowner in Kinnelon, New Jersey, entered a guilty plea on Monday for planning the unauthorised cutting down of 32 trees on his neighbor’s property.
Haber was confronted with penalties amounting to $1,000 per tree. However, through a negotiated agreement, he committed to pay a total of $13,194. With the count of trees involved reduced to 18, this results in a fine of $700 per tree, according to the report from Daily Record.
However, the borough’s prosecutor has indicated that Haber could face additional costs exceeding $1 million, which may include expenses for planting replacement trees. A restitution hearing is scheduled for April 19th to determine the final amount.
Ronald Fallas, a co-defendant who physically executed the tree removal, also pleaded guilty. Fallas admitted to relying on Haber for obtaining permission and permits, expressing that he had acted under the assumption that all necessary approvals were secured. Charges against another co-defendant were dismissed with a warning.
Samih Shinway, the neighbor whose trees were cut down, attended the hearing and expressed ongoing dissatisfaction, stating, “I’m never going to be 100 per cent satisfied.” He drew an analogy, asserting, “I always use the analogy that if you hire someone to put a hit out on somebody, they are just as liable as the person who did it.”
The case garnered public attention last June when a detailed account of the incident was posted on social media platform X by a user named @SamAsIAm.
The user, described as a municipal arborist, revealed the unauthorised removal of the mature trees in an attempt to obtain a better view of New York City.
(With inputs from agencies)
