An abandoned multi-million dollar house that went viral last year when a YouTuber known as “The Unknown Cameraman” shared images of its eerie interior has burned down, according to sources.
An overnight fire that was initially reported at around 12:30 a.m. completely destroyed the 22,000 square foot home, which was formerly valued at approximately $8 million, officials told NJ.com.
On Thursday morning, around 10 a.m., it had entirely burned down.
Colts Neck Mayor Macnow remarked during a news conference, “On behalf of the governing body and the township, I’d like to thank all of the surrounding municipalities for responding and assisting us.” And a special thank you to our local volunteer fire department, first aid team, and police department for their outstanding work in containing the fire before it spread to any other buildings, which might have easily resulted in fatalities or serious injuries.
The Cedar Street house, which internet users have called the “Zombie Mansion,” among other things, gained notoriety last year after the “Unknown Cameraman” featured it in a YouTube video that was initially uploaded on September 16 and has since received over a million views.
The nine bathrooms and seven bedrooms were boarded up in the unsettling video, and portions of the walls were gone completely and covered with graffiti.
Previously owned by Wall Street scammer David Findel, who acknowledged managing a $11 million lending scheme while leading Morganville-based Worldwide Financial Resources, the home was constructed in 2002.
Once, the 51-year-old gained notoriety by spending $400,000 on New York Jets tickets.
In the end, he received a sentence of five years and three months in jail, along with a $12 million reparation order.
“There’s always a chance of something awful happening when a residence is shared on social media and children are entering it. This is the reason Macnow stated on Thursday that “we were actively taking legal actions to try and remedy the situation.” For precisely that reason, the township has been making concerted efforts to persuade the lien holders to address the integrity of the land.
The cause of the fire is still being looked into, officials continued.
Chief of Colts Neck Police Kevin Sauter stated, “Obviously the investigation into how it started began upon the extinguishing of the fire.” “This is suspicious right now.”
