Ramapo takes landlord to NY Supreme Court over fire, safety code violations

The home in question is at 3 Debaun Place in the Town of Ramapo. It's a single-family residence with a dozen alleged state and town fire and safety code violations that News 12 found in a Freedom of Information Act request and a court filing by the town.

Diane Caruso and Bob Doda

Apr 11, 2023, 9:24 PM

Updated 602 days ago

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A Rockland County town is taking a landlord to state Supreme Court after finding code and fire safety violations at a home.
The home in question is at 3 Debaun Place in the Town of Ramapo. 
It's a single-family residence with a dozen alleged state and town fire and safety code violations that News 12 found in a Freedom of Information Act request and a court filing by the town.
An inspection found basement bedrooms that had no egress or were not the right size and had an inadequate electrical system with nonfunctioning outlets that required the use of extension cords and a basement bathroom without a GFI outlet near the sink.
Team 12 Investigates: Playing With Fire
"It's not suitable for people to be in there so we want to make sure that they're either removed or that violations are cleared," said First Assistant Town Attorney Alyssa Slater.
She filed an injunction against Esty Jeremias, the property owner, until the issues are resolved.
"Not only for the safety of the people that are occupying it but for the safety of all our first responders," said Slater. "We don't want to put anybody at risk and the people that are living there – they shouldn't be subjected to those living conditions." 
Esty Jeremias is the wife of Jacob Jeremias – the landlord of 118 South Lake St. in Spring Valley where five people died, including two kids, last month from a fire that was caused by electrical problems.
Since that fatal fire, Rockland's Office of Building and Codes and Rockland Codes Investigations found 435 violations for 12 properties owned by the Jeremias.
Slater told News 12 that the Debaun Place home is documented as a single-family but was found to have 10 people living in it.
No one answered when News 12 knocked on the door. Slater says the town has not heard back from the Jeremias. They also didn’t return a call to comment from News 12.
Esty Jeremias is expected in Ramapo Justice Court on April 18 while the next state Supreme Court appearance is scheduled for April 24.