By Lynda Baquero, NBC New York and Melissa Russo —
NBC News
A man known as one of New York City's “most negligent landlords” was briefly hospitalized after being attacked at the Rikers Island prison complex.
Daniel Ohebshalom
turned himself in to police Thursday after allegedly ignoring court orders to repair hundreds of breaks in rental apartments he owned in Manhattan.
He was then transferred to the famous Rikers prison, where he is expected to serve a sentence of up to 60 days.
The Rikers Island prison complex, in New York, in 2014.Seth Wenig / AP file
A source close to Ohebshalom said that the owner suffered a broken facial bone on Friday afternoon after receiving a punch in the face from another detained person.
The attack occurred in the intake area of the Eric M. Taylor Center around 12:15 p.m., a Department of Corrections spokesperson explained.
Ohebshalom's injuries
were not life-threatening
.
He was transferred back to Rikers late Friday.
Sources told NBC News that they do not believe Ohebshalom was the target of the attack, because the attacker also threatened other detainees.
Apartments with “rats and cockroaches”
Last week, after years of trying to fine the owner of a Washington Heights building and force him to make urgent repairs, the city issued an arrest warrant for a man they described as a
slumlord
.
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At the two buildings along West 170 Street, the city alleges that Daniel Ohebshalom and his company, Belmont Ventures LLC, have accumulated 700 serious violations that affect the health and safety of those who live there.
As a result, Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. issued a court order against him.
“We have arrested him.
“He faces $3 million in fines
and penalties, and will go to jail for 60 days,” Carrión said.
For years, tenant Sonia Peralta and her neighbors have complained about the conditions of their apartments.
“We have rats, cockroaches, there is no heat or hot water,” he said.
“We are going to celebrate (the arrest), we are very happy that it happened.
It was time".
Another tenant stated that he has spent weeks and even a month without hot water, “always during the worst times” of the year.
This is not the first time the City of New York has cracked down on owners of neglected rental buildings.
This includes a fine in 2022 that reached seven figures.
In January 2023, HPD made nearly $50,000 worth of emergency repairs.
Ohebshalom owns several properties in Manhattan, the neighborhood where New York City's worst-maintained rental buildings are often located.
“People have to live with mold and leaks, pests, rats and cockroaches, damaged paint or lead.
Their children are exposed, the elderly too.
It is time to put an end to this nonsense
,” Carrion added.
NBC New York contacted Ohebshalom's attorney for comment, but he did not return calls.