Screenshot, X (@Bubblebathgirl), Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

A middle-aged man was arrested on Saturday in connection with a fire which broke out at a Brooklyn apartment building last year.

Cheng Chen, a 46-year-old man, is facing a litany of charges including arson in connection with a residential fire in the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, allegedly set by squatters in November, according to reports by Fox News.

The fire resulted in approximately $900,000 in damages.

Despite Chen's claim that the fire was an accident, triggered by a candle he lit while smoking a cigarette, authorities deemed it intentional and reckless, leading to his conviction on charges of arson and criminal mischief and a six-month jail sentence.

“The fire was caused by candles,” Chen claimed, as reported by The New York Post, citing a criminal complaint. “I was smoking cigarettes, lit a candle. While I had the stove on to heat up the water and to keep myself warm, [I] went downstairs to take a shower. When I came back I saw flames and smoke everywhere.

The infernal event has been characterized as the culmination of a months-long effort by squatters to “terrorize” neighbors.

“It was a very quiet neighborhood before and then suddenly when it happened, those people break into the house,” Ming Zhu, who lives on the same block as the scorches building, told the Post..

“They went to our neighbor’s backyard and grabbed a brick and they say, ‘We are going to break your window’ and we can’t do nothing,'” Zhu added. “It’s not fair. We pay for property taxes, we pay for expensive house costs. We are working hard for the American Dream but that’s what we get for it?”

The situation has prompted NYC Councilwoman Susan Zhuang and local residents to advocate for significant changes to squatter’s rights laws.

They argue that squatters disrupt the lives of hardworking families, taking over homes especially when owners are away. Zhuang highlighted the contrast between the modest homes in their neighborhood and the luxurious Hamptons houses, underscoring the impact of squatting on everyday families.

“In our neighborhood, we don’t have the Hamptons houses,” Zhuang said. “We the people have the small houses. We work hard, check by check. They are hardworking families that pay their mortgages from paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, squatters enter their home while they are on vacation. People’s lives are turned upside down.”