Town looking to buy Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann’s home, which has become a magnet for gawkers
By Snejana Farberov,
Kevin Sheehan and
Natalie O'Neill
July 26, 2023 10:49am
A Long Island village wants to buy the home of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann and plans to create a no-gawking zone to curb the hordes of curiosity seekers who have flocked there in recent days.
The ramshackle single-family home on First Avenue in Massapequa Park has been swarmed by reporters and gawkers of every stripe since Heuermann’s arrest earlier this month, raising concerns among his neighbors, which village Mayor Daniel Pearl and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder sought to address at a community meeting Monday night, reported Newsday.
“They have a lot of concerns in terms of quality of life, their safety, and their property,” village Mayor Daniel Pearl said at a community meeting Monday night.
The mayor — who sought to fix the problem with Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder — said his village government was laying the groundwork to potentially buy the First Avenue property, where Heuermann had lived for nearly 30 years.
“Legally, we’re getting everything lined up so the village is prepared to move forward when the time comes,” he said, without specifying what the town would do with the property.
Heuermann purchased the humble six-room home in 1994 for $170,000.
Built in 1956, the one-story residence occupies just 1,323 square feet of space, and has a full basement and one fireplace.
The property’s current estimated price is around $635,000, according to the real estate site Zillow.com.
Cops will be stationed around the suspected serial killer’s home “for the foreseeable future” to keep rubberneckers away, said Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Richard LeBrun.
Police on Wednesday were cracking down on true crime buffs and other lookie-loos outside the home — shooing away drivers, and slapping some with tickets, cops and motorists told The Post.
One elderly man in a silver Hyundai Elantra was pulled over by police after slowing down for a peek at the accused killer’s abode, and was ticketed for “impeding traffic.”
“What traffic?!” he fumed.
Town workers also installed at least 31 poles on the block, where signs declare, “No standing, No parking.” The no-gawking zone comes in a bid to keep the quiet neighborhood from becoming an unruly, Amityville Horror-style tourist attraction, police said.
Police, who had three marked police vehicles patrolling the block Wednesday, said they will also crack down on loitering and jaywalking in the area.
more
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014629362.jpg?resize=2048,1365&quality=75&strip=all
