A Los Angeles landlord is in the spotlight for allegedly terrorizing tenants with a series of alarming acts, including setting vehicles ablaze and assaulting residents with bear spray.
Nela Petrusan, a property owner in downtown LA, appeared in court on Wednesday to face charges of criminal harassment. The accusations extend to threats of deportation and verbal abuse aimed at her tenants.
Daniel Zuniga, one of the affected tenants, recounted a disturbing incident from a few years back, claiming that Petrusan vandalized his belongings.
“She set my car on fire and damaged it completely,” Zuniga shared with Fox 11, while presenting video evidence of his car engulfed in flames.
Another resident, Olga Moreira, echoed similar allegations, claiming Petrusan also targeted her vehicle, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Petrusan has firmly denied any involvement in the alleged arson incidents.
“I’ve never lit any cars on fire,” she told Fox 11. “Show me the date, and we’ll see. We’ll play all the cameras.”
Zuniga also accused her of bear-spraying him, and another tenant said she verbally accosted him.
“Nela will be talking through her door, swearing at us, insulting us, calling us [expletives]… all sorts of weird crap,” the tenant, Jacob, told the outlet.
Residents even shared a photo of Petrusan’s maintenance worker boyfriend with what appeared to be a gun in his pocket.
“I’ve never owned a gun in my entire life. Ever,” the boyfriend, Jeremy, said.
Moreira accused Petrusan in a lawsuit of threatening to shoot her.
“You fat a— b—, I’m gonna getta gun and I’m gonna shoot you right in the f— head,” Petrusan allegedly yelled at Moreira, according to the suit.
Petrusan has pending civil and criminal cases against her, according to court records. Two of the civil cases, filed in 2024 and 2025, alleged breach of lease contract and a landlord-tenant habitability issue.
She’s denied any issues with the apartment, despite allegations of neglecting repairs.
“There’s no habitability issue here,” she said. “All I do is clean here and they want to send me to jail for 20 years for trying to clean my apartments.”
Petrusan is set to return to court for her next hearing next month.
