NJ homeowner cut down 32 of his neighbor’s trees — it could cost him over $1.5M
This conifer clash cuts deep.
A New Jersey homeowner chopped down 32 of his neighbor’s trees along a hillside in a tiny town to get better Manhatta𝓀n skyline views — and he could now be forced to pay more than $1.5 million in fines and replacement fees, according to officials and the furious neighbor.
“It breaks my heart. It angers me. These trees take a very long time to grow,” said ﷽Samih Shinway, 40, of Kinnelon, who said a quarter acre of his oaks, bircℱhes and maples were slashed.
His neighbor, munitions expert Grant Haber, was hit with an initial fine of $32,000 — $1,000 per axed tree — after clearing part of the leafy, 7-acre property in March,꧅ borough forester John Tuesday.
anyone who illegally removes a tree in Kinnelon to replꦐace it with “anoth𒅌er of like or superior species.”
The root of the problem is that restoring the toppled trees will require building a roadway to the site and watering the new 📖ones for two years — a massive undertaking estimated to cost $1.5 million, Shinway said.
Haber will also have to factor in the price of adding soil, remꦗoving invasive species and clean-up, Shinway said.
Haber, the CEO of an antiterrorism company, could not be reacꦚhed for comment Wednesday. His company, American Innovations, offers tools to detect improvised explosiveꦦ devices on the battlefield.
Along with coughing up the green, the sapling slasher faces at least 32🎃 counts of illegal tree removal and one trespassing charge, Kinnelon pr💟osecutor Kim Kassar told The Post.
The fir-centric fight began in early March when Shinway said he caught workers in the act of cutting down the beloved trees on his estate, which sits roughl𒐪y 35 miles west of New York City.
“I heard multiple chainsaws in 𝓡the distance,”Shinway said — adding that he hopped on a four-wheeler and drove over to investigate.
He found a graveyard of chainsaw-sliced conifers, ranging in age from 20 tꦡo 150 years old.
“I saw a landscape truck, a dump truck-style truck, with a big, large shredder, and four landscape contractors on my property,” he said. “They said…‘T♈he owner wanted a view of the city and the mountain range.’”
The tree cutters had climbed a fence clearly marking his pro♌perty line, which sits at the bottom of Haber’s more elevated compound, he said.
Shinway, a forest lover who helps out with the state’s Woodland Management Program, quickly called the police♉, who told the workers to⭕ “cease and desist,” he said.
“I really care about [the woods]. That’s why I got so mad,” he saiಞd — insisting more than 32 trees were actually chopped on his land.
“To cut 40 trees and leave them ꦯto waste for no reason, that’s insane,” he fumed.“I just want everything replaced.”
The neighborly cla🎃sh went viral earlier this🙈 week when a friend of Linson, Sam Glickman, tweeted about the cost of replacing the trees.
“[The] guy probably thought he waౠs going to just pay a $32K fine. But…there’s a provision requiring the replanting of like trees “of the same size,” Glickman wrote in the post, which had raked in more than 3.8 million views by Wednesday.
Two contractors hired by Haber to do the tree ꦫchopping may also be fined an additional $400,000, he said.
G🍬lickman’s tweet drew so many people to a court hearing a🌌gainst Haber via Zoom Tuesday evening that it reached its 100-person capacity, and the town prosecutor was initially unable to log on.
The Kinnelon municipal court hearing was ultimately ♐postponed when defense attorney Matthew Meuller said he needed more time to review discovery in the case. It was rescheduled for July 18.
Linson declined to co♊mment to on a total estimate for what Haber could end up owing, other than to say Glickman’s figure was “slightl꧂y exaggerated.”
“I am only able to state that 32 trees were removඣed without a permit,” Linson said.
Municipal officials haven’t confirmed a total pr🅰icetag for conifer cutti🐻ng.
Kinnelon town prosecutor Kim Kass🅺ar declined to comment to The Post, citing an “active c🐷riminal prosecution.”
Haber’s sprawling abode at 72 💧Denise Dr. boasts an in-ground pool and is valued at $1.75 million.
Shinway’s next door residence at 62 Denise Drive, has five bedrooms with an estimated ☂vಌalue of $1 million.
