A man’s oceanfront home in Hawaii collapsed into the ocean and now the state is suing him for allowing it to happen.
Heart-stopping images shared on social media earlier this week showed the house on Oahu’s north shore breaking and collapsing in the waves.
Owner Josh VanEmmerik, 31, owns a bar called Gaslamp in Kailua and grew up in the area.
The house was his dream: a little piece of Hawaiian paradise facing the sea.
But after being accused of multiple violations, including failing to properly protect it, it is now being sued for allowing its structure to float in the ocean.
A man’s beachfront home in Hawaii collapsed into the ocean and now the state is suing him for allowing it to happen.
Owner Josh VanEmmerik owns a bar called Gaslamp in Kailua and grew up in the area.
As the structure crumbled, a neighbor who recorded the video could be heard warning onlookers: “Be careful where you stand.” The whole roof is going to fall right now.’
The legal complaint maintains that at the time the house collapsed, its debris became unwanted material on state-owned land.
In Hawaii, all beaches up to the high tide mark are public property.
“On September 24, 2024, large chunks of cement, wood, glass, electrical components, rebar, geotextile fabric, and other unidentified solid materials covered state land extending between the property’s boundary line and the ocean.” , the complaint states.
The filing continued, stating that “an unknown amount of solid material from the home at Subject Property 2 entered the ocean and was removed from the site due to natural ocean processes.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order to force the removal of debris as well as financial compensation.
The state plans to “restore the beach to its natural condition for public use and enjoyment,” the outlet reported.
Demolition of the house began Thursday. Bulldozers were seen tearing down the remaining parts of the property, as debris from Tuesday’s collapse continued to be dumped into the ocean.
The house before it collapsed into the ocean
As the structure collapsed, Instagram user kevin_makana_emery, who took the video, can be heard warning viewers: “Be careful where you stand.” The whole roof is going to fall right now.’ The video shows glass, metal and wood collapsing into the ocean.
Instagram user kevin_makana_emery, who shared the shocking video on Wednesday, captioned it: Hawaii state officials could have prevented this! But they did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.’
He pleaded with the State to take action.
‘This situation has been occurring for years. Why aren’t you here cleaning this up? Talk about EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for members of our community. Broken glass, metal, nails, nonsense covering every beach and reef as we speak.
The video reveals the devastating scene of destruction, with glass, metal and wood scattered across the sandy beach and pushed into the ocean.
‘This is the beach where my daughter plays. “It’s literally covered in broken glass,” he added.
Dozens of spectators gave their opinion on the situation.
One commentator argued: ‘Legally it is not the State’s problem. It’s the property owner’s problem. It’s like blaming the government if lightning hits a house and it burns down.’
Others, however, sided with the owners. ‘It’s very sad to see this. Government negligence is real and it kills many innocent people. “It’s even sadder for families in the region.”
Another concerned viewer commented: ‘Worried about all that dangerous glass and things that can go through your body if you step on it or fall! Take lots of photos!! Send it to the mayor.
The state of Hawaii has filed a civil lawsuit against the homeowner, seeking damages for the beachfront disaster.
In December 2023, the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources fined VanEmmerik a whopping $77,000 for erosion control violations in front of his Sunset Beach home.
Deputy Attorney General Danica Swenson said HawaiiNewsNow: “Private owners take a risk when they allow structures to be so close to the shoreline.”
“The people of Hawaii now face the consequences of homeowners failing to heed the warning signs of ocean erosion.”
In December 2023, VanEmmerik was fined a whopping $77,000 by the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources for erosion control violations in front of his Sunset Beach home, it was reported. Local Spectrum News.
The violations arose from a series of unauthorized attempts to save their property from ocean encroachment.
Last year, VanEmmerik allegedly placed small polypropylene sandbags on top of older, failing erosion control measures, then poured concrete over the bags and placed stones on the beach, KITV reported.
Everyone who was against broke the law in the State Land Use Conservation District.
Despite a settlement agreement requiring the removal of all unauthorized structures by September 30, 2023, staff from the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) reported finding debris in the sand.
A neighbor, Ken Bradshaw, told Island News at the time that erosion was inevitable.
“It was going to happen no matter what, erosion was going to happen – this particular beach on the north shore is very prone to summer erosion, not winter erosion, the trade winds come in and move everything towards Waimea, this is something I continue, ‘I’ve been in my house for 40 years, I’ve seen it all.’
‘There was an old Hawaiian family that had property originally from Wahiawa, they finally sold it to a guy who was overzealous and thought he could stop (the damage) from happening and I warned him three times myself: Don’t buy this property. ‘, he added.
OCCL Administrator Michael Cain emphasized the importance of protecting Hawaii’s beaches.
“The beaches are public property of the state for the people of Hawaii, it is the DLNR’s responsibility to protect these resources,” he said at the time.