A squatter who allegedly refuses to leave her dead boss’s Manhattan mansion is a serial freeloader who has tormented at least one other family, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Hilarie Page, 66, is allegedly holed up inside the $13.2 million Upper East Side townhouse where she worked as a live-in maid for late mattress entrepreneur Craig Schmeizer.

The entity that owns the building has sued Page, alleging she has refused to vacate the five-bedroom property and is blocking estate representatives from entering. 

It has also emerged that she was arrested for assault stemming from an incident involving Schemeizer – weeks before he died from blunt force trauma. Police say the case is closed and there was nothing criminal about his death. 

Now, a former benefactor of Page has shared his own nightmare experience having Page as his houseguest.

In 2017, Terry Niefield said he reluctantly let Page crash on the couch of his one-bedroom, open-plan loft apartment in Chelsea.

The now-83-year-old photographer said he initially took pity on Page – a childhood friend of his then-girlfriend – after she was evicted from her home in Murray Hill.

The situation was meant to be temporary, but court documents show she refused to leave for more than two years. 

Soon, Page was joining Niefield and his girlfriend for dates and dinner, which put strain on their relationship.

Schmeizer had been living in the property alone since becoming estranged from his wife Sarah Shalev and their two children

Hilarie Page, 66, is allegedly holed up inside this $13.2 million Manhattan townhouse on the Upper East Side

‘Liz would say let’s invite Hilarie – not because we liked her so much but we knew she needed to eat.’

He claims Page never paid rent or offered to chip in for groceries or meals. 

Niefield said Page had no job and spent her days sprawled on his couch playing on her phone, which ‘drove him crazy.’

He called her a ‘parasite’ and claimed she had a ‘nasty’ streak.

‘You can see the pattern,’ he said. ‘She can charm her way into something but it winds up ending in bad circumstances.’ 

He revealed one time he and Liz were on a date at a high-end restaurant with Hilarie when she screamed at the waiter for not filling her wine glass fast enough.

Another time at an outdoor cafe, he said she erupted at a nearby couple who were smoking. 

‘Next to us were these Europeans. A nice couple. They were smoking and the smoke was coming our way. I asked them nicely can you please lower your cigarette. They were very nice. Hilarie went after them and screamed out, “You Euro Trash!”

‘You get an idea of her personality. She just has it in her to offend.’ 

He recalls another incident when, in a rage, she hurled a hot cup of coffee at him. It missed – but shattered a glass cabinet in his apartment.

Niefield said: ‘I’ll always remember this. I got on my hands and knees to clean up the mess and then afterwards went to the hardware store.

‘When I returned there was not a word, no, “I’m sorry it happened.” Nothing. It is not in her to see that this was her problem. She’s a super narcissist.’

Page is being sued by the entity that owns the building after allegedly blocking estate reps from entering

Schmeizer and Shalev are pictured together in 2014

When tensions flared, an entitled Page would let herself into his photography studio and sleep there instead, Niefield said. 

The nightmare ended only after Niefield took her to housing court and spent thousands in lawyer fees. In early 2020, she was forced out.

Court documents seen by the Daily Mail show Page began living with Niefield in late 2017, who ‘initially told her that she could not stay with me and that I did not want a roommate, but eventually agreed to let her stay because she had no other place to stay.’

The affidavit added: ‘I live in a one-bedroom apartment which is a former loft. The space is completely open, except for my bedroom, which is created by a room divider. 

‘Ms Page has been staying on the couch in my living room, and as a result, I am prevented from using the majority of my home freely… I have not been able to have any guests over because the living room is her bedroom. I have had to reschedule visits from family and friends, including my daughter.’ 

Public records show Page listed as a tenant at multiple high-end addresses across Manhattan going back to the late 1980s, including a townhouse on Central Park West.

In late 2024, she was hired as a live-in housekeeper by Schmeizer, the founder of Nectar Sleep, to manage his four-story limestone townhouse at 111 East 81st Street.

Schmeizer had been living in the property alone since becoming estranged from his wife Sarah Shalev and their two children. 

One local told the Daily Mail they assumed the pair were a couple and claimed that police were called to the block several times.

Another said they had a tumultuous relationship, often hearing screaming and yelling from the building.

When shown a picture of Page, a local worker told the Daily Mail: ‘She’s the crazy one that yells. She is not normal, she walks around screaming and cursing, “You terrorist. You immigrant.”‘

In late 2024, she was hired as a live-in housekeeper by Craig Schmeizer (pictured) to manage his four-story limestone townhouse at 111 East 81st Street

An employee at a neighborhood liquor store suggested Page and Schmeizer liked to party. ‘They’d call for delivery. They’d order wine or vodka,’ they said.

In November, Schmeizer, 52, was found dead at the property from blunt force trauma.

An autopsy ruled the cause of death ‘subdural hemorrhage due to blunt force trauma of head,’ with chronic alcohol use as a contributing factor.

The manner of death was deemed ‘undetermined.’

Just weeks earlier, in September, Page was arrested on assault and harassment-related charges stemming from an incident at the townhouse that left Schmeizer injured, according to the New York Post. 

A photo obtained by the Post showed blood dripping from around his left ear onto his white shirt. The charges were dropped, however, and the NYPD told the Daily Mail: ‘The investigation regarding his death is closed. There was no criminality.’

Niefield said the arrest did not surprise him and that Page had anger issues. While he was never afraid of her, his girlfriend did fear for his safety while Page was living with him, he said.

‘I always slept very well. Never ever afraid… even though my girlfriend was worried but I told her I was fine.’

Page also left her apartment in Murray Hill (pictured) under mysterious circumstances 

Terry Niefield, 82, said he invited Page to crash on the couch of his one-bedroom Chelsea apartment and she refused to leave for two years

While some members of Schmeizer’s family are demanding police reopen the investigation, his brother Jesse told the Daily Mail he remembered Page as a caring woman who looked after his sibling until his finals days.

According to a complaint filed by the building entity – whose members are two family trusts – estate representatives arrived at the townhouse after his death but were unable to gain access.

Locks had allegedly been changed and when a locksmith was called and regained entry, Page allegedly ran to the door screaming and blocked them again.

When the Daily Mail visited the home this week over the course of two days there appeared to be no activity at different times throughout the day.

The curtains were drawn and a single light from a floor lamp could be seen peeking through the large casement windows on the second floor.

The Daily Mail rang the doorbell, knocked on the door and at one point left a note in a mail slot attached to the front door.