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Pei ‘Lu’ Chung, an aspiring food influencer, crafts an online persona that exudes sophistication and luxury.
A quick look at her Instagram reveals lavish shopping sprees featuring Hermès and Prada, along with artfully posed selfies and exquisite dishes from some of New York City’s finest dining spots.
But dig a little deeper, and all is not what it seems. Buried between the glossy posts are captions that veer into the nonsensical, and stories in which she launches into strange rants about her neighbors, making scattered, paranoid claims.
This carefully curated image crumbled recently when the 34-year-old was arrested for the seventh time in less than a month, accused once more of dining at a Williamsburg, Brooklyn restaurant without paying the bill.
Yet, the infamous ‘dine-and-dash diva’ seems unfazed. On Monday, she allegedly left 12 Chairs without covering her tab, and on Wednesday, staff at Hole in the Wall asked her to exit mid-meal after recognizing her from recent media reports, as staff members from both venues shared with the Daily Mail.
The Mail obtained exclusive photos of Chung dining solo at Hole in the Wall, enjoying pasta and a cappuccino before being asked to leave.
Later, on Thursday night, the Daily Mail spotted Chung at the upscale Maison Premiere, camera in hand at the bar. When approached for a statement, she silently stood and moved further into the restaurant.
She attempted to order a drink, but management refused to serve her and asked her to leave. She declined, and police were called. Chung then quietly slipped out moments before officers arrived.
For many, Chung’s brazen antics have come as a shock. But to her neighbors, none of this is surprising. They say her public behavior mirrors the turmoil they have endured for months inside the luxury waterfront building they share.
Pei Chung, the so-called dine-and-dash diva, was seen on the prowl again in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, last night, racking up a tab at the Australian restaurant Hole in the Wall
Exclusive images obtained by the Mail show Chung seated alone twirling pasta on her fork
Three neighbors who spoke with the Daily Mail described Chung as a disruptive and unnerving presence whose late-night screaming fits, door-pounding, alleged acts of vandalism and bizarre outbursts have allegedly drawn police to her door more times than they can count. The NYPD has been contacted for comment.
One neighbor, who asked to be identified only as Will, claimed he has borne the brunt of her ire since she moved into the exclusive building in July 2021. He said their feud began after Chung messaged him out of the blue, asking him to join her in a lawsuit against building management over what he considered a petty grievance. He politely declined.
What followed, he said, was a sudden escalation.
‘I think when I shut her down, she villainized me,’ he said. ‘That’s when she started to play music really loud. She’d blast EDM and classical music so loud my walls would shake. Sometimes really early in the morning… and then things continued to get weirder and worse from there.’
Will said that when Chung first arrived, she mostly kept to herself. Their early interactions were brief and friendly. He recalls their first proper interaction when one of his cats slipped out of his apartment, and he found Chung petting it in the hallway.
A week later, he said, he awoke in the early hours to a text message from Chung asking, ‘Can I come and see your cats?’ – having apparently pulled his number from the building’s resident group chat.
By winter 2022, her behavior appeared to shift. According to Will, several men in the building who had previously been friendly with her gradually distanced themselves after noticing ‘something was off.’
Chung was abruptly ejected from the restaurant after staff recognized her from recent news coverage, staff told the Daily Mail
One neighbor, who asked to be identified only as Will, told the Daily Mail that Chung has been tormenting him for months, playing music in the early hours and vandalizing his door
In all, Chung (seen Wednesday) has been arrested seven times for the same misdemeanor charge: theft of services
Then, on Thursday night, the Daily Mail encountered Chung two doors down at the swanky Maison Premiere. She was asked to leave and refused until police were called
Late last month, Chung was arrested for allegedly refusing to pay a bill at the famed steakhouse Peter Luger’s
During this period, Chung allegedly told a now-former doorman that she had seen a sniper on the roof of a nearby building. Chung, a Taiwanese citizen, also voiced fears the Chinese Communist Party was ‘coming after her,’ Will claimed.
Will said she seemed more mellow by spring 2023. Aside from occasional flare-ups and noise complaints, life on the floor was relatively normal – until early summer 2024, when Chung contacted Will again via WhatsApp, asking about his rent and what he paid for the building’s facilities.
In screenshots shared with the Daily Mail, Chung claimed the building was trying to charge her double for gym access and pointed out what she believed were violations in the clauses of her tenancy agreement.
After a flurry of messages, she suggested ‘consulting a lawyer for potential legal action.’ Will replied that he wasn’t interested and wished her luck.
It was around this time that Chung stopped paying rent altogether. Legal records obtained by the Daily Mail show that her lease expired in August 2024, but she has continued living in her $3,350-a-month studio ever since – without making a payment. To date, she owes more than $40,000 in back rent and has been ordered by a judge to vacate the premises by December 1.
Her unpaid rent, Will said, became an open secret among residents and doormen.
After he rebuffed her lawsuit proposal and word spread that she was in arrears, Will claims her behavior went off the rails.
Chung’s Instagram page is filled with glamorous snaps showing the 34-year-old decked from head to toe in designer gear – but her manicured facade came crumbling down this week
Legal records show she owes more than $40,000 in rent. She has been court-ordered to leave her apartment by December 1 (seen above is the eviction notice on Chung’s door)
After allegedly skipping out on a bill at a restaurant on Monday, Chung was captured returning home by a group of neighbors
In November 2024, she ranted in the resident WhatsApp group that front-desk staff weren’t wearing suit jackets, as she believed was customary – drawing rebuke from several residents, messages show. She was later removed from the group.
In the weeks that followed, Will said Chung then started playing music so loudly that his walls shook and furniture rattled.
‘It was intentional,’ he said. ‘She’d bang in all different areas – the bathroom, the main room. You could tell she’d pushed the speaker right up to my wall.’
Will claimed Chung’s outbursts often woke him in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours. He banged on the wall in response and repeatedly called 311, but police could do little. Officers would knock, she wouldn’t answer, and they’d eventually leave, he said.
On December 15, 2024, the NYPD returned for a welfare check after reports that she had been screaming in Mandarin inside her apartment and blasting music for hours. Video footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows several officers forcing open her door.
Will, who witnessed the incident, said, ‘She answered their questions correctly but kept saying everyone was against her, and that she’s right and everyone else is wrong.’
As their war between walls continued, Chung allegedly began leaving strange items outside of Will’s door, including a dirty face mask and used plastic gloves.
He says he lost count of how many times he or other residents called police, but officers would sometimes visit her floor multiple times per week – occasionally multiple times in a day.
Officers from the NYPD are seen gathered outside of Chung’s door on December 15, 2024, conducting a welfare check
Chung allegedly began leaving strange items outside of Will’s door, including dirty facemasks and used plastic gloves
One night, after several police visits, Will was in the bathroom when he heard a scribbling sound outside his door around midnight. When he opened it, he said, he found his name written in red lipstick.
‘I don’t know if she has a thing for me or something,’ he said, ‘but that’s an objectively weird thing to do to someone.’
He shared an image of the graffiti with the Daily Mail. Not long after, his door was vandalized again – this time with a smeared brown and red substance. Will believed Chung was the culprit.
Sharing Chung’s other wall is another neighbor, Maggie, who moved into the building in early 2024. She says she witnessed many of the same episodes and backed up Will’s accounts.
‘Some of her behavior has been literally insane,’ she claimed.
Residents and door staff regularly trade stories about interactions with Chung, several sources said.
One source claimed Chung once called police on a doorman because she believed he was ‘meowing’ at her. He was temporarily transferred to a different building until tensions cooled.
Another source told the Daily Mail that Chung had been reprimanded for attempting to enter another tenant’s apartment.
Will said he is aware of two incidents in which she allegedly walked into someone’s unit uninvited, once waking a male resident by entering his bedroom. Maggie said she had heard similar accounts.
Born in Taiwan, Chung moved to New York in 2019 to attend Pratt Institute. She moved into the Kent Avenue building in 2021
In February this year, Will photographed Chung tying one of the building’s luggage carts to her front door (left). Then in April, Chung appeared to smash a Roomba vacuum in her hallway (right)
Will said all civility with Chung ended after he rebuffed her request to file a lawsuit against their building over what he deemed petty grievances
In February, Will photographed Chung tying one of the building’s luggage carts to her front door, seemingly so it could only be at her disposal.
Then in April, he, Maggie and a third neighbor heard a thunderous crash from the hallway. When they stepped outside, they found the smashed remains of a Roomba vacuum and a telephone. When Maggie asked what she was doing, Chung allegedly replied that she wasn’t satisfied with how the Roomba was working.
Another video Will filmed in June shows a loud, violent banging from behind Chung’s door. The following month, Chung placed a speaker on a tripod outside her apartment and played a blaring, AI-generated monologue about Taiwanese foreign policy.
On Instagram, Chung documents some of her disputes.
In posts and stories, she has railed against a ‘black family’ on her floor, accusing them of closing their door ‘too loudly.’ Other clips show her grinning as deafening music plays from a speaker, or peering into the hallway, making noises.
Both Will and Maggie told the Daily Mail they complained repeatedly to building management, voicing concerns for their safety, but nothing was done. Instead, they say they were told they could break their leases if they felt unsafe. (The management company has been contacted for comment.)
Despite the chaos, both said they worried about Chung’s well-being.
‘It’s clear something’s not right,’ Maggie said. ‘It’s sad – she doesn’t seem to have any family or friends here. She spends most of her time locked in that apartment.’
On Instagram, Chung (seen Wednesday) documents some of her disputes. In posts and stories, she rails against a ‘black family’ on her floor, accusing them of closing their door ‘too loudly’
On her personal website, Chung says she studied ballet and classical piano. She previously worked as a digital designer
In November 2024, she ranted in the resident WhatsApp group that front-desk staff weren’t wearing suit jackets, irritating other residents. She was later removed
Born in Taiwan, Chung moved to New York in 2019 to attend Pratt Institute and previously worked as a Senior Experience Designer at JP Morgan, according to her LinkedIn profile.
On her personal website, she claimed to have studied ballet, classical piano and violin. She also claimed she was ‘operating a rifle at age 17.’
Social media posts from her early years in New York show her mingling with Taiwanese socialites at Manhattan clubs and galas. One friend who knew her then told the Daily Mail she always seemed ‘pretty normal.’ She suddenly cut contact with everyone, he said, and they haven’t heard from her since.
‘I’m shocked at all this happening,’ he said.
Chung’s alleged dine-and-dash spree began in the Williamsburg area in late October at the ritzy restaurant Francie.
According to the Post, she ordered foie gras, carpaccio, bucatini, lamb and a chocolate mousse – totaling $188 – before attempting to barter with the restaurant for the meal.
‘She wanted to trade pictures and a blog post for the meal,’ owner John Winterman told the outlet. ‘I told her that would have needed to be agreed upon beforehand, and it wasn’t, so she needed to pay the check.’
When all her cards declined, Winterman said she claimed she was waiting for money from her family. She returned on November 7 and was arrested after allegedly refusing to pay an $83 tab, records show.
Chung’s alleged dine-and-dash spree began in the Williamsburg area in late October
On Wednesday, after being ejected from Hole in the Wall she peered into a Chinese take-out across the street
She appeared to leave empty handed, before heading in the direction of home
Days earlier, she racked up a $97 tab at Lavender Lake and left without paying, according to police.
She also visited Peter Luger’s Steak House on October 27, where she allegedly ran up a $146 bill and refused to pay. A manager alleged to the Post that Chung offered a sexual favor instead of payment.
A video obtained by the Daily Mail shows her being arrested and taken away in a squad car.
Over the weekend, Chung was arrested twice on Saturday after similar incidents at Sea Thai and Misi, police records show. She was released under supervision.
Then came this week’s incidents at 12 Chairs, Hole in the Wall, and Maison Premiere.
On Monday, Will filmed Chung returning late to her apartment building.
Wednesday night, exclusive images obtained by The Daily Mail show her enjoying a bowl of pasta inside Hole in the Wall before a staff member asked her to leave.
She later posted about the meal on Instagram, revealing she ordered pan-seared salmon, carbonara, burrata salad and a cappuccino. It is unclear whether she paid; police were not called.
Chung was then spotted at Salt + Charcoal and two nearby Chinese takeout spots before heading home in a cow-print fur coat, red dress, black ankle boots and a cream beret – seemingly empty-handed.
Repeated requests for comment sent to Chung were not returned. Her posts on social media depict her as a high-fashion fitness fanatic, but neighbors said the reality is far different
Maggie claimed Chung returned home at midnight and started thrashing around in her apartment.
In all, Chung has been arrested and charged seven times for the same misdemeanor: theft of services. It’s unclear if she’s entered a plea.
Repeated requests for comment sent to Chung were not returned. Her public defender has also been contacted.
She is due back in court in December to face her theft of services charges – just days after her scheduled eviction.
Will said he will be relieved to see her go, describing her as the human embodiment of modern materialism, self-indulgence and vapidity.
‘She’s like a modern Frankenstein’s monster,’ he said. ‘Everybody thinks it’s hilarious her dressing like that and stealing from restaurants and not paying her rent.
‘I think she’s a consumerist monster… and she’s being rewarded for her behavior with attention.’
