A major fire in Maspeth over the weekend has renewed concerns about illegally parked RVs and weak city enforcement after flames from a street-side camper spread to the iconic GoodFellas Diner, causing extensive damage to a neighborhood landmark.
The blaze, which started around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, originated from a parked RV and quickly spread to the old diner at 56-26 Maspeth Ave. Sixty firefighters responded to the scene, and two civilians were evaluated but declined medical treatment. The fire marked the second time in seven years that GoodFellas Diner has suffered a major blaze.
Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and a Republican mayoral candidate, was holding a fundraiser nearby at the time of the incident. He witnessed the fire and used the moment to criticize the city’s handling of illegal RVs. “We cannot have streets filled with RVs that people live in full time,” Sliwa said. “Lack of law enforcement makes life unsafe for all communities.”
The incident underscores a growing citywide debate over illegally occupied RVs, many of which are used as informal housing by individuals experiencing homelessness or living on the margins. While New York law prohibits overnight parking of RVs and unregistered vehicles on city streets, enforcement is inconsistent and violations often go unaddressed.
Sliwa, who has long campaigned on issues related to quality of life and public safety, used the incident to blast City Hall for failing to adequately enforce zoning and parking regulations.
“Lack of law enforcement makes life unsafe for all communities,” he said. “As Mayor, I will assure your quality of life is finally protected. We cannot afford fires to start because the city doesn’t enforce illegal RVs.”
In addition to illegal RV parking, Sliwa is also calling for tougher enforcement by the Department of Buildings (DOB) against property owners storing unregistered or commercial vehicles on private lots — a common complaint in industrial neighborhoods like Maspeth.
The GoodFellas Diner, once a symbol of Queens nostalgia and neighborhood pride, is now at the center of a broader conversation about urban decay, street-level safety, and the city’s ability to manage informal housing amid an ongoing affordability crisis.
With issues of housing instability and public safety increasingly at the forefront of political debate, the fire could become a symbolic turning point for local policymakers — and a rallying cry for Sliwa and others advocating for stricter enforcement of existing city laws.
