Rat Infestation Has North Philadelphia Residents Begging City For Help
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia neighborhood has a rat infestation that will make your skin crawl. Residents are begging the city for help.
People who live in the area say they reached out to the city to address the problem and they were told six months to get this figured out. They say that's way too long to be dealing with rats running around their neighborhood.
"It's a big problem," one resident said.
Rats are running rampant and residents along Germantown Avenue are fed up.
"Listen, this is serious. This is a rat infestation around here," block captain Yolanda Murray said.
Cellphone video shows the rodents scurrying through the weeds and popping through holes in an open lot.
"When I walked across the street to go to the store I said I couldn't believe it. I tried to videotape and get closer but there were too many and I didn't want them to jump on me," Murray said.
People who live and work in the area say they see about 50 to 60 of them every single night.
"If you stay here once the sun start to go down you'll see they'll just all start coming out," said Deejay Da Singa with Bladerunnerz.
And Eyewitness News saw them -- a lot of them -- flocking to nearby trash cans and dumpsters. The rats are even making their way into homes and businesses.
"They will run over your feet, they will slide through the doors and people will start running from them," Singa said.
Murray says she has tried calling the city and she was told it could take six months before someone comes out to take care of the rats.
They say they can't live like this anymore and are endlessly searching for someone to help them clean this up.
"This needs to be taken care of right now," Murray said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the Department of Licenses and Inspections and City Vector Control and we are waiting to hear back.