Palm Beach police have arrested a man on charges of stalking and harassing two well-known celebrity agents and TikTokers.
On Saturday, Alex Ghaderi and Edis Talović of the Ghaderi Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate called 911 claiming that a local man was harassing them. The probable cause affidavit states that they were “being assaulted and [were] fearful for their lives” after Joseph Peter Rivera, 42, started yelling at them and calling them anti-gay slurs while they were taking pictures outside a house.
Witnesses described Talović and Ghaderi trying to get away from Rivera, who followed them while yelling the same slur over and over again. In a police interview, one of the agents said that he pepper-sprayed Rivera but he kept coming after them until they got into their car.
“This was the most vicious attack I have experienced,” Talović told a local ABC station. “Especially during Pride Month where we hope to feel accepted.”
After arriving on the scene, officers found a bag containing cocaine in Rivera’s wallet and stipulated that he was under its influence “because he continued to yell while speaking to officers and had drastic mood swings.” Rivera was then arrested, charged with possessing cocaine, stalking and simple assault with intent to do violence and booked into Main Detention Center.
Ghaderi and Talović are well-known in the Palm Beach luxury real estate community — their team works with celebrities looking to move to the area and run a TikTok account with nearly 50,000 followers. In their TikToks, Ghaderi and Talović post video tours of multi-million dollar homes, break down the daily life of a real estate agent and offer updates on the Florida market. They have a loyal following who is interested in their daily lives and is quick to comment on their videos — one of their latest videos, a one-minute tour of Boca Raton, earned over 2 million views.
@alex.ghaderi The best of everything 👌🏽 #theghaderiteam #luxuryrealestate #luxurycars #rollsroyce #luxuryliving #theghaderiteambocaraton
“I never have experienced anything like this in my life,” Ghadari said. “My life was threatened and I was being attacked for being who I am.”