US man fined $1 million for cutting down neighbor’s trees for landscaping

Last June, the tree-cutting incident went viral.

A Kinnellon, N.J., homeowner pleaded guilty Monday to cutting down trees on his neighbor’s property without a permit. According to the Daily Chronicle, Grant Harbor ordered the removal of 32 trees, allegedly to improve his view of the New York City skyline.

Haber originally faced a fine of $1,000 per tree, but as part of a plea agreement, he agreed to pay a total of $13,194 and have the number of trees considered reduced to 18. This equates to a fine of $700 per tree. News report.

The borough prosecutor said Haber could face more than $1 million in additional costs, including planting replacement trees. A restitution hearing is scheduled for April 19 to determine the final amount.

Harper’s co-defendant, Ronald Faras, who felled the trees, also pleaded guilty, admitting that he wrongfully relied on Harper for permits and permits. Charges against another co-accused were dismissed and he was given a caution.

Samih Shinway, a neighbor whose tree was cut down, also attended the hearing.

“I’ll never be 100 percent satisfied,” he said later. “I always use this analogy: If you hire someone to hit someone, they’re just as responsible as the person who did it.”

The tree incident gained widespread attention last June when a user named @SamAsIAm posted a post on X providing a detailed description of the incident.

A municipal arborist friend just called me to tell me that a man had cut down 32 mature trees on his neighbor’s property in New Jersey to get a better view of New York City. He hired one person, and another person hired another person. Cut them off and leave the pieces there. The fine is $1,000 per tree, so 1/

— Build alliances for the better and prepare for the worse. (@SamAsIAm) June 26, 2023

User @SamAsIAm wrote: “A municipal arborist friend just called me to tell me that a man had cut down 32 large trees on his neighbor’s New Jersey property to get a better view of New York City.”