Junk begins to pile up outside Koreatown home, again
Piles of trash and other junk are beginning to build up outside a Koreatown home, again. It's a concerning sight for neighbor Leticia Ruiz.
"The biggest worry I have," said Ruiz. "What if it happens the same as last time?"
Ruiz and others living along Harvard Boulevard are worried that their nightmare from nearly two years ago has returned. In 2021, residents voiced their concerns to KCAL News, when their neighbor's hoarding habits turned into an 8-foot wall of debris, became infested with rodents and an awful stench permeated from the home.
The neighbors had complained to the city for years, as the property had been cited for code violations since 2010.
"Boxes are almost to the top," said Ruiz. "And right after he turns off the light, he doesn't want anyone to see inside."
County mental health workers went to the home in 2021 and got the elderly homeowner to allow the city to clean it up. Neighbors said the woman, who's in her 90s, no longer lives there and that her son is the root of the hoarder-like conditions.
Resident Regina Lim said she witnessed the man next door steal her trash, capturing him on her front-yard security camera early one morning.
"I saw him at 6:00 a.m. but I never seen him that much early," she said. "But, when I checked the video he started at 1:30 a.m."
Lim said she's reported the problem again to her local council member. She added that action needs to be taken soon so the problem doesn't get worse.
"What will happen to my house?" said Ruiz. "The price will go down ... I don't want that."
KCAL News reached out to a friend of the owner of the home but has not heard back. We also contacted Councilwoman Heather Hutt's office and are awaiting a response.
