Bronx mother fears for her children’s health due to rat infestation

A Bronx mother says she fears for her children’s health due to a rodent issue in her apartment.

News 12 Staff

Jun 11, 2022, 2:27 AM

Updated 845 days ago

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A Bronx mother says she fears for her children’s health due to a rodent issue in her apartment.
“I want to move, I want to move, I don’t want my kids here,” Marlenny DeJesus said.
Her apartment on East 178th Street in the Bronx has been dealing with a rodent problem for what she says has been years.
She says the landlord only does patch jobs and that the problem has gotten worse over time. She says that the rats have created holes all over the apartment, from her kids’ room to the kitchen.
“They just want the rent and tomorrow what they fix is going to be the same problem,” said DeJesus.
She says her children struggle to sleep because they can hear the rats throughout the night. Her kids suffer from both asthma and allergies and she says the rat infestation is impacting their health in a bad way.
“It’s hard, I’m not working right now, my husband is the one working,” said DeJesus. “If I had the ability to move, I would move.”
News 12 reached out to the landlord about this apartment, and he said the superintendent has been patching up the holes and will provide additional services as needed.