Brooklyn's 'Angel Landlord': Mario Salerno

Colm Flynn Podcast

Mario Salerno is a landlord like no other. After first meeting him you may think this hard-talking, body-building, tracksuit-wearing, Italian American would be as tough as nails, but as hundreds of his tenants discovered when New York was in the grip of the Coronavirus, he has a heart of gold. In April of 2020 New Yorkers were devastated when their city became the global epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city that once never slumbered overnight became like a ghost town as people fled the city. For many of those who remained, life was tough as people started losing their jobs and income. In the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Mario Salerno runs an auto body repair shop and garage. He is also a very successful landlord with over 200 tenants and noticing how much some of them were hurting, he decided to do what most landlords would never dream of doing. He waived the rent for all 200 tenants for the entire month of April. Conservative maths put Mario at a loss of over a quarter of a million dollars. Colm Flynn heard about his story and immediately went to interview him at his garage. After the report was broadcast it went viral and Mario became known as the 'Angel Landlord' of Brooklyn. He was invited on to the Ellen Show, mentioned on Saturday Night Live, and even invited to the White House by President Trump! One year after his incredibly generous gesture, Colm travels to New York to meet Mario Salerno to find out more about him and the story of Brooklyn's 'Angel Landlord'.