Residents in Astoria, Queens, are living a real-life “Mad Max” nightmare [1], as a former Rite Aid has been transformed into a haven for ‘booze-swilling vagrants, zonked-out junkies,’ and purported illegal aliens, who have turned the abandoned building into their own dystopian hang out, as reported by The New York Post [1].
The 25,058-square-foot property located at 47-07 Broadway was claimed by middle-aged derelicts approximately seven months ago, with neighbors revealing that the group has adorned the building’s roof with Mexican, American, and Puerto Rican flags, as well as furnishing it with various items such as sofas, tables, chairs, and foam mattresses. Among the bizarre items dangling from the roof’s edges are bras, bicycles, pool noodles, and even a Power Wheels Jeep.
Excellent news: If anyone had suggested that these people be deported, residents surely would have screamed and called him a racist … so now the neighborhood is being turned into a slum.
What more could anyone wish for?
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯A former Rite Aid in Astoria,… pic.twitter.com/jATt4EX3wg [2]
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) July 20, 2024 [3]
“The whole scene has a real ‘Mad Max’ vibe going on,” said one cautious neighbor, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal from the vagrants. “It should be fenced off or something, but the owner doesn’t take any responsibility for it.”
This seemingly lawless gathering of apparent boozehounds behind the building was observed drinking and laughing boisterously, with two individuals found unconscious on the ground. One man even brandished an eight-inch knife, while another reached for what appeared to be a loose table leg, and none of the individuals seemed to speak English. According to neighboring residents, they believe the men are illegal aliens.
The New York Post [1] reported:
The Post watched as a man seated on a soiled blue couch behind the building appeared to sell drugs.
Another urinated out in the open as two teenaged couples walked by, while a third, heavily tattooed man stripped to his boxer shorts and bathed himself with a half-filled five-gallon water bottle.
There have been 163 complaints to 311 about the hellish parking lot and building since Jan. 1, city records show.
Of those, 69 people reported the active encampment, while 36 complained about drinking at the site with another 11 gripes about public urination.
Rite Aid has been embroiled in bankruptcy [4] proceedings since the fall, and shuttered the Astoria location due to sluggish sales.
Since before the pandemic, there has been a spate of convenience and grocery store closures in the Big Apple, as chains abandon their brick-and-mortar locations thanks to rampant shoplifting.
The Center for an Urban Future, which keeps tabs on retail chains in New York City, issued its most recent report in January.
Between 2021 and 2023, Rite Aid shut more than half of its Big Apple locations — shrinking from 119 to 54 stores.