Attorney William Schwitzer must relinquish many of the farm animals he keeps at home, Brookhaven board rules

A personal injury attorney who keeps a menagerie of farm and exotic animals as pets at his Lake Ronkonkoma home must relinquish more than a dozen emus, alpacas, sheep, turkeys and ducks, as well as three goats, the Brookhaven Town Board of Zoning Appeals has ruled.

William Schwitzer, of Smith Road, may keep up to five of his goats and 14 chickens, the board ruled last month, according to town documents.

The board also allowed him to keep a 21½-foot-high barn that exceeds town code by 3½ feet and ordered him to move a fence away from a neighbor's property line, records show.

The board's Dec. 17 decision followed months of hearings on Schwitzer's applications for variances that would allow him to circumvent town building codes and keep more animals than town laws normally allow.

At least one neighbor had complained about odors and manure runoff that he blamed on animals living on Schwitzer's 3.1-acre property.

Schwitzer's attorney, Larry Davis, of Patchogue, said Tuesday his client was "quite upset regarding the decision" and was considering a legal challenge to the ruling.

The animals remain on the property, Davis said, adding Schwitzer would be allowed to keep all of his animals pending any appeal. 

“I think he’s looking at his options now,” Davis said.

Schwitzer had requested permission to keep up to eight goats, 20 chickens, six sheep, two emus, an alpaca, three turkeys and two ducks. 

The board of zoning appeals issued partial approvals allowing him to keep up to 14 chickens and five goats but ordered him to get rid of the other animals.

A neighbor, James Ramsden, a merchant mariner, told Newsday last fall some of Schwitzer's animals had sneaked out from under a fence and tore up his garden. Ramsden said he and his family had been subjected to massive manure runoffs and smells from an uncovered 40-foot dumpster on Schwitzer's land.

Ramsden did not return emails seeking comment.

He had asked the town to compel Schwitzer to bring the property up to code, with appropriate fencing, safe storage of the animals and proper maintenance of the manure, Newsday previously reported. 

Another neighbor, Gina Oliva, had testified to the board that she was not worried about the animals, Newsday reported.

Brookhaven Councilman Neil Manzella, who represents Lake Ronkonkoma, declined to comment on the decision Wednesday but added the board members "make the best possible decisions based on the information provided to them."

The town fined Schwitzer in 2023 for the nonpermitted animals and for illegal structures, town spokesman Drew Scott previously said.

Records show Schwitzer pleaded guilty to the violations in July 2024 and paid an undisclosed fine. The town slapped him with $3,500 in additional fines that he paid last fall for failing to return to the zoning board to legalize the farm, records show.

Davis said Schwitzer's animals were not used for commercial purposes. “Those animals are more pets than anything. He feels they’re part of his family," Davis said in a phone interview. "It’s very emotional.”

Schwitzer operates William Schwitzer and Associates, a law firm representing individuals involved in construction site accidents and motor vehicle crashes.

The firm, and Schwitzer personally, have been named in multiple recent lawsuits alleging they directed individuals, commonly known as runners, to recruit construction workers to stage accidents at various locations across the region and to claim a host of injuries. Schwitzer's attorneys have denied the allegations.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.