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New York Post
Former NYC Rite Aid is now overrun by booze-swilling vagrants, zonked-out junkies: ‘F–king preposterous’
By Chris Harris,
2024-07-20
A former Rite Aid in Queens has been transformed into a nightmare out of “Mad Max,” overrun by booze-swilling hobos, zonked-out junkies and migrants who have transformed the forlorn spot into their own dystopian social club.
The mostly middle-aged derelicts laid claim to the 25,058-square-foot Astoria plot seven months ago, neighbors say — planting Mexican, American and Puerto Rican flags atop the vacant building’s roof and furnishing it with sofas, tables, chairs and foam mattresses.
They’ve since turned the site into a blight, dangling bizarre items from the roof’s edges.
A former Rite Aid in Queens has been transformed into a nightmare for Astoria residents. J.C. Rice There’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to what’s on display at the encampment. J.C. Rice
Everything from bras and bicycles, to pool noodles and a Power Wheels Jeep adorn the top of the building.
“It’s got a real ‘Mad Max’ vibe going on,” said one neighbor, who declined to give her name out of fear of retaliation from the vagrants.
“It should be fenced off or something, but the owner doesn’t take any responsibility for it.”
At least eight apparent boozehounds were spotted loitering behind the building this week, drinking and laughing loudly, with two unconscious on the ground.
Flags from Mexico and the U.S. have been set up atop the building. J.C. Rice Neighbors said the migrants drink the day away and end up passed out on their lawns. James Messerschmidt
One man flashed an eight-inch knife when approached by The Post, while another reached for what appeared to be a loose table leg.
More forgotten toys litter the exterior of the building. J.C. Rice The empty building has been covered in tags and graffiti. James Messerschmidt
“It’s f–king preposterous,” said a lifelong neighborhood resident, as he surveyed the scene behind 47-07 Broadway , which housed the Rite Aid Pharmacy until 2019.
The building has been vacant since September, when a business adjacent to the Rite Aid moved.
In February 2023, the site was sold to Long Island investors Frank Tehrani and Perry Moradof for $11.1 million.
Neighbors said the encampment began back in January. J.C. Rice A man passed out on a soiled couch in the middle of a Wednesday. RAW News
The previous owners had it for 52 years.
Neither Tehrani nor Moradof responded to calls seeking comment.
Many neighbors told The Post the situation is a tragedy in the making.
Trash and broken glass cover the lot, where neighbors say vagrants spend the day drinking. RAW News
“It’s absurd and dangerous,” one worried woman said Wednesday.
“On the weekends, I’ve seen kids playing on that wood pile over there, like it’s a jungle gym. Some of that wood’s got exposed nails, too.”
The parking lot is sandwiched between Newtown Road and 47th Street, just a stone’s throw from William Cullen Bryant High School.
Junked couches are getting a second life behind the former Rite Aid on Broadway. J.C. Rice
“My husband worries there’s going to be a fire, and that firefighters won’t be able to get inside because the whole building’s closed off,” another neighbor told The Post.
“There’s always a drunk passed out here — ambulance, every other day here to pick one or two up,” one of the neighbors explained.
“The city services that get chewed up over here, it’s ridiculous. God forbid we need an ambulance, they’re tied up with these guys.”
Residents said police have been unable to help with the situation. J.C. Rice
The Post watched as a man seated on a soiled blue couch behind the building appeared to sell drugs.
Another urinated out in the open as two teenaged couples walked by, while a third, heavily tattooed man stripped to his boxer shorts and bathed himself with a half-filled five-gallon water bottle.
There have been 163 complaints to 311 about the hellish parking lot and building since Jan. 1, city records show.
Since before the pandemic, there has been a spate of convenience and grocery store closures in the Big Apple, as chains abandon their brick-and-mortar locations thanks to rampant shoplifting.
A collection of discarded items, as well as salsa and packing tape, sits atop a table in the parking lot. J.C. Rice
Between 2021 and 2023, Rite Aid shut more than half of its Big Apple locations — shrinking from 119 to 54 stores.
During that same period, Duane Reade went from 317 to 211 stores, and CVS closed five stores, dropping to 170 locations.
In April, Rite Aid closed another five stores in the five boroughs, and a large CVS on the Upper East Side ceased operations in May.
Tags and planks of wood grace the doors of the former Rite Aid. James Messerschmidt Garbage and construction debris are piled up against the back of the building. J.C. Rice
While the building’s future remains in limbo, residents told The Post the situation continues to worsen, with garbage piling up behind the building since January attracting rats .
The city said it cleaned up the site June 8 and offered the men “services,” pledging to return after the Post inquired about the troubling scene.
“These guys are out here, drinking liquor in the open,” a disgusted neighbor said.
“We pay a lot of taxes living here. You don’t see this s–t in the suburbs.”
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