“Watch Your Back”: Squatter’s Alleged Rampage Terrorizes UWS Tenants

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On July 3, Jennifer Rawson, an alleged squatter living at 638 West End Avenue, allegedly brandished a knife “and attempted to place another person in reasonable fear of physical injury, serious physical injury, and death,” according to the NYPD and the District Attorney’s office. The person, Roberto Dipelesi, lives next to Rawson on the same floor of the 13-unit rental building building, located between West 90th and 91st Streets. Dipelesi was granted a restraining order against Rawson after her lease ran out. He and others also say that Rawson has been breaking windows, stealing mail, and engaging in other threatening behavior.

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“About a year ago, this Hare Krishna family moved in — David, Jennifer, and their three children,” said DiPelesi during a call with ILTUWS. “They went through Airbnb again with the building owners,” he added, before explaining that they paid rent for “five or six months, and then after the lease was up, they didn’t leave.” DiPelesi blames the landlord, EXL Management, for the situation he and his neighbors are now dealing with. He told us that Rawson’s husband, David, and their three children are no longer living in the apartment, which he believes may be contributing to her alleged deteriorating mental state. He noted that he has seen a number of men coming and going from the unit, along with other examples of extremely concerning behavior; however, since we do not have evidence of these claims, we are not publishing the details.

However, when describing the knife incident involving Rawson, DiPelesi told us he had previously made her an extra key because she had been repeatedly breaking the front door window — damage he often repaired himself due to what he saw as slow response from building management. “So I said, Jennifer, did you lose your key to the front door? She said, ‘Yes, actually, I did,’” according to DiPelesi. What followed, he said, was a “diatribe of hallucinogenic paranoia.”

According to DiPelesi, he was concerned not just for himself, but for other tenants, visitors to the building, and even Rawson herself potentially getting hurt on the broken front door window. He said he gave her a copy of his key so she could make a duplicate and return it. “That way you don’t have to break the front door,” he told her. But that, he said, “lit her fuse.” Rawson began insulting the way the door had been fixed, then warned him to “watch out,” claiming she had “600 men arrested for what they did to me.” DiPelesi said she didn’t blink once during the entire rant — then went back into her apartment, grabbed a knife, and returned with it raised.

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“It was maybe 18 to 24 inches away from my chest. I didn’t move. I just let her go on, let her go on. And she just went on, and she said, Man, you better watch your back. I’m going to get you.”

Rawson has been charged with three misdemeanors: Menacing in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, and Menacing in the Third Degree. DiPelesi expressed concern that Rawson is in a desperate state of mind and not thinking clearly. “In my 32 years living in this building, I’ve never had any issues this serious,” he said.

ILTUWS also spoke with two neighbors who requested anonymity, both saying they fear for their safety. One doesn’t live in the building but met DiPelesi at a nearby gym and expressed concern for him, noting a change since the situation began. “I can’t even imagine, like, my husband and I would lose our minds,” she said. “We have a kid, we have a teenager, and we would have a heart attack over what’s going on in our building, you know?” The source criticized the landlord and management company for inaction, accusing them of only collecting New York City-sized rents. “That’s all they care about. They couldn’t care less about the safety and well-being of their tenants,” she said. This neighbor said she had no direct interactions with Rawson but saw her former Hare Krishna husband at a nearby laundromat two months ago. “My husband actually had an argument with him a while ago because he was, like, hogging all the dryers,” she said. “Like, what? That’s too much of a coincidence.” She described the man as “an American dude wearing Hare Krishna clothes.”

Another anonymous source inside the building spoke to ILTUWS about installing cameras in the vestibule to catch the culprit stealing mail. Both this source and DiPelesi said the United States Postal Service is aware of the problem, and a local postal worker reportedly warned that whoever is stealing the mail should “look out.” They also alleged that Rawson has been breaking into the basement to turn on her electricity when it has been turned off. The building currently has a wired camera, but residents are afraid to use it because Rawson might notice and react badly.

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After two inquiries, EXL Management issued the following statement to ILTUWS on July 22:

“EXL Management is actively addressing a situation involving a tenant whose behavior has caused ongoing disruptions to the building and its residents. We understand the concerns of our tenants and want to assure the community that we are taking every legally permissible step to resolve the matter.

“EXL Management is working in close coordination with our legal counsel and the appropriate authorities to ensure that all actions taken are fully compliant with New York City housing laws. Our goal is to restore peace and safety for all residents as quickly as possible, while respecting due process.

“We remain committed to maintaining a safe and respectful living environment for all our tenants and will continue to communicate with residents throughout the process.

“For any questions or concerns, tenants may contact our office directly at info@exlre.com or call 929-295-6165.”

Days later, on Saturday, July 26, ILTUWS was contacted by DiPelesi, who alleged that around 7 p.m., officers responded to a call at a neighboring building related to a postal worker who had been robbed earlier that day. DiPelesi claimed that Rawson, in a paranoid state, believed the police were there because of her. He said she was placed in a straitjacket and taken away in an ambulance.

When ILTUWS contacted the NYPD about the incident, they initially responded, “The perpetrator approached the postal worker and attempted to take packages from the postal worker. A struggle ensued, and the worker sustained minor scratches to his face. The perpetrator fled with one package containing unknown contents. There are no arrests, and the investigation is ongoing.” However, when asked specifically about Rawson, the NYPD said, “There are no complaint reports on file with the information provided in your inquiry.”

ILTUWS was already in contact with City Council Member Gale Brewer’s office regarding the matter. A spokesperson from Brewer’s office spoke with the commanding officer at the 24th Precinct, who confirmed that Rawson was taken away in an ambulance. Brewer’s representative expressed concern for DiPelesi, stating that he was in “danger.” Brewer also spoke directly to the commanding officer and wrote a letter to the building manager, Fifi Jones of EXL Management. “I urge you to move quickly with the eviction and cameras,” Brewer wrote. “This is a terribly serious situation that requires focus and urgency.”

According to court records, Rawson and her family were also evicted from a Hare Krishna Center in Brooklyn in 2022.

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Rawson returned to her apartment the same night she was taken away in an ambulance, according to DiPelesi, who sounded miserable on the phone. Speaking with him regularly, ILTUWS could tell that — at least initially — he had hoped to finally get a good night’s sleep. ILTUWS went to Rawson’s apartment last week to slide a note under her door, offering her the opportunity to tell her side of the story. The front door was broken, making entry easy, but we were unable to locate a working phone number or email address for her.

On Tuesday, July 29, Rawson went missing, according to DiPelesi. A wellness check was reportedly conducted at the apartment she’s squatting in — 638 West End Avenue, Apt. 1C — on Saturday, August 2, but she was not found. The NYPD would not confirm this information, and it’s possible she could return at any time. “Absolutely,” said the gardener when asked about the likelihood of her coming back. DiPelesi believes legislation needs to be passed to prevent future situations like this one. “I don’t want money,” he told us. “I mean, I’m glad it happened to me, because I’m strong — but it could happen to anybody.”

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