A 39-year-old man from Los Angeles is facing charges after he took possession of a vacant home in Newark, New Jersey, according to city officials.

Hubert A. John faces charges of criminal mischief, burglary, criminal trespass and terroristic threats, Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara announced Tuesday.

The charges stem from a chain of events that allegedly took place last week when, on June 17, police responded to a burglary call on Ivy Street at approximately 12 p.m. Officers located the homeowner who reported that four males that she did not know were allegedly claiming to have legal residency of her vacant property and had changed the locks.

Allegedly, when the homeowner and a locksmith approached the home, they were stopped by the unknown males, who presented paperwork indicating that they held legal residency of the property.

Police subsequently requested the documents from the four suspects, who claimed to be sovereign citizens of the Al Moroccan Empire and that their status permitted them access to the property, O'Hara said. However, officers verified that the victim had, in fact, purchased the home in February 2021 and that the home is currently vacant. The homeowner said she was there visiting to make some renovations, according to O'Hara.

After police informed the suspects that they could not remain in the property, they left. However, at around 2:40 p.m., one of the suspects returned before the homeowner’s locksmith could change the locks. The suspect, later identified as being John, allegedly used a key and entered the home before placing a Moorish flag in the window, but he was eventually taken into custody by police.

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Attorney information for John was not immediately known.