Plague of rats seen feeding on garbage outside of Jersey Mike’s
A recent video went viral that showed a number of fairly large rats feasting on the garbage bags outside of the restaurant, Jersey Mike’s. The footage showed the rats scurry from underneath a nearby car before ripping into the bags to eat scraps. The footage was uploaded to Reddit, where the person filming it claimed that this was a regular occurrence despite the city being notified. You would expect the city to have tackled this problem, seeing as it is taking place on public property.
Speaking on the issue, the Redditor wrote: “Every night Jersey Mikes’s and the 202-204 Hudson apartment building host a rat feeding swarm by placing garbage bags filled with food on the sidewalk and in overflowing containers in front of their building. I emailed the City rat report line and the City replied they would contact them and inform them of the covered container ordinance. I spoke with Jersey Mike’s employees who gave me a number to call, which turned out to be disconnected.”
Among many other issues, rats are known to inhabit unsanitary environments, like sewers and garbage dumps, which exposes them to disease-causing microorganisms. Rats can carry and transmit various diseases, such as Salmonella, Leptospira, and Hantavirus, through contact with their urine, feces, or bites. Their nesting and living habits can lead to fecal contamination of food, water, and surfaces, contributing to the spread of illness. Moreover, rats are known for their destructive behavior, gnawing on objects and posing fire hazards by chewing through electrical wires.
With this said, hopefully the Hoboken authorities can deal with this sooner rather than later.
