Rat problem amplified by rodent-built tunnels festers at Yonkers apartment buildings

Renters at one Yonkers apartment building say trash thrown onto the street brings dozens of rats into their homes.

Right before News 12 cameras arrived, a mountain of trash was bagged and taken from inside an alleyway on Hawthorne Avenue. But the people that live in the surrounding buildings say as soon as it gets dark, the garbage becomes a feast for rats.

Residents at 288 and 290 Hawthorne Ave. say the trash problem isn't a new one. They pointed out rodent-built tunnels connecting the buildings, which they say have not been professionally patched, so they stuck rocks in the holes instead.

Families say they have begged their landlord to put trash cans outside their buildings for years, but to no avail.

"(They're) attacking the women and the kids, and I'm in my room across the street hearing all the screams," says one neighbor.

Some even say the rats get into their hallways at night, making it impossible to walk to their apartment door without seeing one.

News 12 reached out to the landlord for comment, but he hung up as soon as he learned who was calling.