Metro

Evicted bridge dweller spending nights at 24-hour McDonald’s

He’s gone from the Manhattan Bridge to the Golden Arches.

The handy homeless man who was evicted from his fully-stocked shanty inside the East River span has moved into a 24-hour McDonald’s because he doesn’t like city shelters.

“Without an ID, I just have to spend another night in McDonald’s . . . I’m looking for any other option,” Joe Zhou, 57, told The Post through a translator on Friday.

“I’m afraid to be around too many people who know me.”

The Chinese immigrant was first taken to Bellevue’s homeless shelter after cops raided his bridge loft on Thursday — but he left to spend the night at McDonald’s.

Both were a bum deal compared to his makeshift home.

It featured a stove, a reading lamp and a “pantry” stocked with beer — which he built using skills he learned while working construction jobs in Boston and the Big Apple.

“I insulated it well from things on the street . . . But they threw all my stuff out! Everything out!” he said of the cops who evicted him.

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The Manhattan Bridge as seen from downtown Brooklyn.
The Manhattan Bridge as seen from downtown Brooklyn.Spencer Burnett
The entrance to one of the shelters built into the framing of the Manhattan Bridge by homeless men.William Farrington
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A shelter made between the steel beams of the Manhattan Bridge hangs above the walkway.William Farrington
A shelter made between the steel beams of the Manhattan Bridge hangs above the walkway.William Farrington
The entrance to one of the shelters built into the framing of the Manhattan Bridge by homeless men.William Farrington
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The interior of a cramped shelter made by homeless men in the Manhattan Bridge's framing.William Farrington
Joe Zhou after he was discovered to be living in the Manhattan Bridge.
Joe Zhou after he was discovered to be living in the Manhattan Bridge.R. Umar Abbasi
Zhou being removed from his bridge “home.”
Zhou being removed from his bridge “home.”R. Umar Abbasi
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Zhou's belongings were removed by police.
Zhou's belongings were removed by police.R. Umar Abbasi
Zhou speaks with an NYPD officer.
Zhou speaks with an NYPD officer.R. Umar Abbasi
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Zhou said he makes enough money to eat by selling casino vouchers on the black market, sometimes riding the buses that hand them out twice a day to fuel the street hustle.

Zhou was born in the southern costal region of Fujian province in 1957. He married, had kids and worked as livery van driver until, for reasons he wouldn’t discuss, he left them behind and moved to the United States 17 years ago.

He picked up odd jobs, including frying egg rolls at a restaurant, before running into trouble with the law and becoming homeless.

Joe Zhou after he was discovered to be living in the Manhattan Bridge.R. Umar Abbasi

Zhou, who has trouble completing sentences, added that he could never hold down a job for more than a couple weeks at a time.

“I never worked my way up to wok chef because if you get too good at a certain job then the bosses don’t want you anymore,” he said.

He added, “America is better than China because there are so many places to make money — but they won’t give me the opportunity right now,” he said.

With no way to pay rent, he set up shanties on the grass near the entrance of the Manhatttan Bridge — but cops tore them down, he said.

Two years ago, he got creative. He collected scraps of wood from signs and chunks of unused plywood and Styrofoam to build his abode into the frame of the Manhattan Bridge, above the bike lane.

Two weeks ago, a cyclist spotted him climbing up a chain-link fence, thought he was a jumper, and called cops.

The home was torn down Thursday by officers, who said it could collapse onto the bike lane.

The Department of Transportation has “surveyed” other East River bridges looking for similar shanties, a spokesman said.

Additional reporting by Rebecca Harshbarger