Residents at an upper Manhattan apartment building are rallying against their landlord after enduring carbon monoxide exposure, rodents, mold and other horrific living conditions, they say.
Tenants at the Inwood building say 17 of them were hospitalized last weekend when the boiler released carbon monoxide. The boiler had to be shut off for nearly 24 hours as a result, leaving residents in the freezing cold.
It's the latest in a string of incidents in the 62-unit building.
"It's awful, it's awful. We shouldn't have to live like this," said Wilhemina Washington, who's lived at 3852=3856 10th Ave. for 30 years.
Residents showed NBC 4 New York their deteriorating bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens, all in need of repair. One person captured video of two giant rats scurrying through his apartment.
"We shouldn't have to live like this, regardless of where we came from," said Washington.
Rats are just the tip of the iceberg. Records from the city's Housing Preservation and Development Department show the building has 77 open violations, some dating as far back as 2001.
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Violations include lead paint, missing CO detectors, rats, roaches, bedbugs and mold.
Jessica Quinidumbay said her children suffer the most. She told NBC 4 in Spanish, "It's completely terrible to live here. I initially wanted to move out, but I decided to stay here and fight with my neighbors, for my family."
The landlord, Julian Rodriguez and associated LLC Cone Realty, and the building property manager, Kitty Huang, did not return multiple messages left by NBC 4.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez called the landlord's inaction "a criminal act."
"Those landlords, they have to be accountable," he said.
City leaders say the landlord and property owner will be asked to make repairs. If they don't, the city will do the repairs and send the landlord the bill.
