NYC Mayor Eric Adams Gears Up For The War On Rats After Being Cited At His Brooklyn Residence

If you have been to New York City, you have more than likely seen a rat or two parading around the subway or walking with you on the streets. And NYC residents have complained as the issue has gotten worse. Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to engage in a solution. However, city officials feel he’s part of the problem.

Bloomberg reports that Adams was cited by the sanitation department Thursday for allegedly harboring rats in his Brooklyn townhome. Appalled at the accusation, Adams came with receipts, defending the allegation. During a hearing with the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, Adams claims to have spent $8,000 on the war on rats. “The burrow is a small hole that is on my neighbor’s property,” Adams said on the call. “It is not on my property, and I have photos I can show you as evidence.”

According to Bloomberg, the 62-year-old showed photos and videos of the rodent holes across the property line.

The mayor’s hatred for rats is growing more profound, as he even mentioned it during his campaign, speaking of hiring a “rat czar” for the Mayor’s office. “Most people don’t know this about me, but I hate rats. And pretty soon, those rats will be hating me,” Adams said. Bloomberg reported that the mayor spent $7,000 on rodent abatement last year and $200 monthly for an exterminator. Thanks to the work, he said he hasn’t seen any evidence of rats on the property since October.

ABC News states that city records show Adams received close to 18 summons over the years at his Brooklyn residence, mostly related to garbage issues. While he would usually pay the fine, Adams decided to fight back this time.

The rat brigade has been made famous on social media. Recently, a video of a man seen sleeping on an NYC subway train went viral as a rat made the man his playground.

A rat climbs up a man on a subway train in #NYC. #fridaymorning pic.twitter.com/AExCUpqfn1

— Judgy Emoji (@JudgyEmoji) February 3, 2023

Adams isn’t the first New York City mayor to fight back against rats. According to ABC News, his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, spent millions of dollars on efforts to reduce the rat population. With his eye on specific neighborhoods, de Blasio used tactics like more trash pickup, aggressive housing inspections, and replacing dirt basement floors with concrete.