A violent ex-con squatting in a swanky West Village building has allegedly spent months terrorizing his neighbors — who say he has turned his apartment into a “flophouse” and regularly threatens to kill them.
Tenants and the landlord say Melvin DeJesus weaseled his way into an elderly man’s rent-controlled apartment in the desirable location, at 400 Bleecker St., last summer, and then never left when the man died later that year.
“He says he’s going to kill the tenants and he’s ready to die,” said one neighbor in the building, where a two-bedroom unit recently rented for $6,700 a month.
The tenant was too scared of DeJesus — who has a terrifying rap sheet, including a 1987 attempted murder charge in the Bronx — would come after them and requested to remain anonymous.
The owner of the building, The Brodsky Organization, is now suing the ex-con for $5.5 million, in addition to an ongoing eviction proceeding that could take months to resolve.
In one hours-long screed last week, DeJesus screamed, “You started a war and I’m going to finish it!” when residents discovered a five-gallon tank of gasoline outside his door and called the cops, according to the lawsuit.
“I’m going to throw your ass off the motherf—ing roof,” the neighbor from hell screamed, the suit claims.
But DeJesus claims the enviable West Village pad is rightfully his, because the now-deceased longtime tenant was actually his gay lover of 30 years.
“The landlord is knowingly lying about my status in this rent-controlled apartment despite my 31-year history with my spouse/domestic partner,” DeJesus wrote in a reply to the eviction proceeding, adding that his mail has been delivered there “for over 30 years.”
DeJesus did not respond to a request for comment.
“He’s threatened that he has knives and weapons,” said another terrified tenant. “I pray to god he doesn’t actually.”
The ex-con took a plea deal in the attempted murder charge and was sentenced to 2-4 years in prison for assault. But his disturbing rap sheet doesn’t end there.
DeJesus was found guilty at trial of drug dealing in 1993, where he was handed a sentence of up to 10 years, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office.
“Absolutely floored that this is the new normal,” another tenant told The Post. “He’s a terrorizer,” the resident added. “A violent, violent criminal.”
The “nightly disturbances” began last summer, the lawsuit claims.
On June 26, cops responded to a 911 call, where DeJesus allegedly screamed that “he had a knife and was ready to use it” during a “prolonged confrontation” in the stairwell for nearly an hour.
Police confirmed to The Post that two people were taken to the hospital by EMS during the distress call, one with a minor arm injury.
Tenants have called the cops many other times on their nutty neighbor, but despite police showing up again and again, nothing ever happens.
“Sometimes he’ll tone it when [cops] are here. When they leave, he starts up again, ‘I dare you to call them again,’” said a resident. “He knows where the line is to not get arrested.”
Another said that the cops were at the building multiple times Wednesday night, but were unable to do anything, “because it wasn’t an immediate threat,” they said.
Cops confirmed they came by twice that night, but since they didn’t personally witness the alleged harassment, there was nothing they could do, sources said.
“I don’t feel comfortable here,” another tenant griped. “I don’t want to get killed.”
DeJesus allegedly shacked up with the longtime rent-controlled tenant at apartment 5B, octogenarian John Grafenecker, neighbors said. Grafenecker lived in the apartment from 1974 until he died in October.
The owner of the building only discovered Grafenecker had died when they tried to take him to court over two months of missed rent — and instead of the 84-year-old, DeJesus was there and announced his alleged roommate was dead, the suit claims.
Grafenecker “repeatedly denied” that DeJesus lived in his apartment, according to court papers.
Tenants were unsure how the odd couple knew each other, and despite sometimes seeing DeJesus carry groceries for the senior citizen, the two constantly fought and argued — loudly.
“Once he got into a scuffle with the old man,” a tenant recalled. “He said, ‘I’m going to throw you down the stairwell.’”
DeJesus has since allegedly turned apartment 5B into a “flophouse” filled with mattresses and garbage, the suit claims, with a “scary group of people” coming in and out, said one tenant.
Several of DeJesus’ “guests” were hauled away in an ambulance when cops were called for a wellness check in January, according to the suit.
The Brodsky Organization — one of the developers turning the Flatiron Building into condos and previously accused of being a slumlord — did not reply for comment.
“After the death threats, I’m thinking of moving,” a tenant said. “No one wants to deal with this.”
