California squatters overtake abandoned mansion owned by son of Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton

Squatters have taken over an abandoned Los Angeles mansion belonging to the son of the Philadelphia Phillies owner while neighbors view the high-end property as an eyesore and are scared for their safety.

The home located at 7571 Mulholland Drive in the posh Hollywood Hills has been left vacant for over a decade, a few years after John Powers Middleton — the only son of businessman John S. Middleton — purchased the property, according to ABC 6.

Squatters and taggers began breaking onto the empty premises over two years as taggers began leaving blasting their artwork all over the house.

The vibrant colored graffiti features a deviously grinning heart character “standing” the entire height of the home surrounded by “tags” — or artists’ names and initials— all sprayed on in different fonts and colors.

“Every time we call, the police will come and they’ll clear it out, and then within an hour or two, five more people are there and staying the night,” one neighbor told the outlet.

Residents in the ritzy neighborhood allege they were subjected to abuse while one suspected squatter attacked a homeowner with a “steel rebar and beer bottle.”

Others claim the taggers are beginning to spread their work to other properties.

“The guys who come tag, they’re tagging other houses on other properties,” Mateo Herrerros told NBC Los Angeles. “I [couldn’t] care less about this house. It’s an abandoned house. The owner doesn’t care about it. I don’t really care about it. It’s just the element it brings.”

The younger Middleton purchased the mansion in 2012 but the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety declared the property a nuisance and issued an abatement order forcing the owner to build a fence and secure the property in Oct. 2022, NBCLA reported.

Middleton failed to comply to the order, leading the city to erect a fence instead.

The squatters and taggers still accessed the six-bedroom, 9,707-square-foot home. According to the listing, Middleton’s mansion has a pool and is estimated to be worth $6.53 million.

Most of the windows have been shattered and the exterior walls and the roof of the house have been covered with graffiti.

The neglected mansion was described as a “public safety issue with serious consequences for both neighbors and the surrounding community,” LA City Councilmember Nithya Roman’s office said according to NBCLA.

“This owner is in egregious violation of the law and we are elevating the issue with the abandoned buildings unit at the Department of Building and Safety to ensure that the fullest extent of enforcement is being implemented urgently and swiftly,” Raman’s office said.

Neighbors have taken multiple efforts to rid the unwanted guests from the property, by calling the police, but the squatters return a short time later.

“The police told us they are tied because it’s still owned by the homeowner, so it’s stuck in limbo land,” the neighbor said.

“Every time we call, the police will come and they’ll clear it out, and then within an hour or two, five more people are there and staying the night,” said the neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified.

In 2016, John S. Middleton increased his ownership of the Phillies to 48 percent and was named the team’s “control person.” He joined the organization in 1994 as a limited partner.

The Phillies confirmed the property belongs to the younger Middleton, but no one else in the family is invested in the California land.

“The California properties are owned by John Powers Middleton. No other members of the family have ownership, investment, control or involvement in these properties,” the Phillies said according to WPVI.