Fordham residents say they’ve been without hot water for over a month

Alonzo Newman, who lives in the building with his wife and two children, says his daily routine now includes boiling at least four pots of water just to get clean.

Jodi-Juliana Powell

Sep 11, 2025, 2:12 AM

Updated 2 hr ago

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For more than a month, residents of a Fordham apartment building say they’ve been forced to live without hot water - and they’re tired of boiling pots just to take a shower.
Alonzo Newman, who lives in the building with his wife and two children, says his daily routine now includes boiling at least four pots of water just to get clean.
“I mean, I can turn the hot water on right now. It makes good for a glass of water if you’re thirsty. But that’s about it,” Newman said.
Every morning, he says, he wakes up hopeful that the problem will finally be fixed.
“Every day I say, ‘Today’s the day I get to take a hot shower.’ And I’m terribly disappointed, in epic proportion,” he said.
Newman shared several text messages his wife sent to the building’s management team, all of which were met with the same response: a plumber is working on it.
“They even told me, ‘We’ve sent the plumber.’ I said, ‘Well, he must be a ninja — he must’ve mastered the art of deception, because I’ve yet to see him,’” Newman said.
Newman says repeated phone calls to management now go straight to voicemail, a sign he believes means he’s been blocked.
“I know I’m blocked because I called using somebody else’s phone and it went through,” he said.
News 12 also attempted to reach the field manager, identified in texts as Leonardo. When a reporter called, he confirmed his identity but then abruptly hung up the phone.
Newman says he has filed multiple 311 complaints and is now seeking help from city agencies and local elected officials.