One-man’s shanty home: Hobo builds a 16ft makeshift wooden house on the Manhattan Bridge cycle lane using plywood, cardboard, a bike lock and a pail for the toilet
- Chinese-American senior ‘Joey’, thought in his 50s or 60s, built makeshift home
- Front door latches with bike lock; homeowner lacks plumbing, using pail instead
- Man reportedly spoke about Mao Zedong and his slain friends when approached
- Workers over the weekend painted over graffiti by shack but left the man alone
An unidentified Chinese-born squatter has built his own corner of New York real estate on the Manhattan Bridge.
The man in his 50s or 60s, reportedly named ‘Joey’, made the tiny house of out plywood and cardboard.
His 16 sq ft home on the cycle thoroughfare has no running water or plumbing, with ‘Joey’ forced to use a pail instead.
Security is also lacking, with a bike lock in place to latch the wonky front door.
When approached, he is said to have ranted about Mao Zedong and the fact some of his friends were executed in Communist China, the New York Post reported.
The news comes as New York City is thought to have its highest rate of homelessness since the Great Depression.
According to campaigners Coalition for the Homeless, in March there were just under 50,000 New Yorkers in the city’s municipal shelter system.
That includes 15,087 homeless children.
Thought to be named Joey, the Chinese-born bridge squatter is reportedly in his 50s or 60s
‘Joey’ ranted about Mao Zedong when confronted by a New York Post reporter last week
The miniature plywood and cardboard home, pictured over the weekend, is covered in graffiti
A cleanup Saturday by city workers, which included the spraying over of nearby graffiti, did not see ‘Joey’ confronted for his presence on the key New York bridge.
Community activist Susan Lee, 44, told the newspaper that Joey’s entirely unregulated presence on the bridge could result in a terrible accident.
She said: ‘A structure like that is not regulated, it’s put together on a whim and it’s dangerous.
‘Someone could very well put the bike lock on that structure while the individual is inside and set it on fire.
‘I hope he gets the help he needs.’
But a progressive City Councilman’s spokesperson said that ‘Joey’ should be left alone.
‘Joey’, who is thought to be suffering from mental illness, is pictured on the Manhattan Bridge as long ago as 2014
Speaking for Councilman Christopher Marte, Caitlin Kelmar told The Post: ‘We are not going to comment on this story and don’t want to bring more trouble to this man’s life.
‘I know he has been there for over a year, but nobody from our office has seen the structure since last winter.
‘He seems to have some mental health issues based on our conversations with him.
‘The Department of Sanitation has taken down the structure multiple times, and I know he has received outreach from either DHS or a local nonprofit because we witnessed it.’
Recent surveys vastly underestimate the number of homeless people in the city, the Coalition for the Homeless cautioned, as only those in formal shelters can be counted.
It added that the vast majority of homeless New Yorkers suffer at least one mental illness or a severe health disability.
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