Neighbors' Feud Goes Viral After Man Cuts Down 32 Trees to Get Better View of the City
It could cost one neighbor millions.
Neighbor versus neighbor disagreements are nothing new. In fact, there is an entire show, Neighborhood Wars, devoted to the altercations between those living in the same area. However, one disagreement between New Jersey neighbors is so epic, that has gone viral and could end up costing one of them millions of dollars.
Samih Shinway lives 35 miles east of New York City in a wooded area of New Jersey on seven acres of land. On February 27 he heard the "brum-brum" of chainsaws and knew something was wrong. He drove out to an area of his property where hickories, maples, birches, oaks, and other native tree species were and was shocked when he got out there.
Where his beautiful trees previously were, he found stumps, branches, and pieces of wood. He also found a group of workers hired by his neighbor, Grant Haber, who were instructed to clear 32 trees on his property.
His reasoning? He wanted a better view of the valley and the New York City skyline, the neighbor's workers told him.
According to Kinnelon Borough law, he would have to pay a fine of $1,000 a tree for illegally chopping them down – and replant "another of like or superior species" at his own expense — and "replacement trees must be guaranteed for two full growing seasons," they say. According to TikTokers, who have become obsessed with the case, he could end up having to spend millions of dollars to replace the mature trees and take proper care of them.
And, according to NorthJersey.com, Kinnelon Borough is also fining the contractors involved in cutting down the trees. "There's little recourse generally for incidents like this," Shinway said. "And that's why I think so many people relate to the story. But I also think it's part of a bigger conversation: Trees are so important to the environment, yet they get illegally cut. We need to protect them, so I hope that it draws more attention towards it."
People became so obsessed with the case, during a June 27 Zoom hearing of the case, so many people tried to hop on that Shinway "couldn't even get in at first," he told The Washington Post. "So many people logged in that the prosecutor couldn't even get in either," Shinway said. To him, that cemented "why this case is important: It's not just about protecting what we own but also about protecting trees."
