Story by Ethan
On June 3rd, 2026, the arrest of Joel Grunbaum, age 31, was announced by Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. Joel Grunbaum was charged with first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing. The arrest and charges against Joel Grunbaum were a result of an investigation handled by the New York City Department of Investigation, Assistant Inspector General for the Department of Buildings Emily Casewell, and Inspector General for the Department of Buildings Michael Morris.
According to the Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Joel Grunbaum, as the owner of 716 E. 215 Street, Bronx, New York, filed a permit request with the city’s Department of Buildings. The file claimed that the defendant’s building was unoccupied and would remain so during any construction or demolition, leading to a construction permit being granted to Joel Grunbaum for his property. However it’s alleged that Joel Grunbaum was aware of a female tenant alongside her eight children/grandchildren living in his building at the time of submitting the construction permit request. After getting ahold of the construction permit Joel Grunbaum began demolishing the walls and ceilings of vacant apartments while the aforementioned tenants were still living in the building. Due to the false nature of the request there was no Tenant Protection Plan (TPP) issued alongside the permit, which is mandatory for any construction being done in an occupied property. The extent of the demolition rendered the inside of the building as unsafe, leading to the Department of Buildings issuing a vacate order on November 6th, 2022. This led to the family occupying the building being forced out in the middle of the night and having to navigate through unsafe areas with no lighting.
The Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark stated that the charges against Joel Grumbaum are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
