Rats Big As Bunnies Roam Upper West Side Streets, Politician Says

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A local assembly member penned a letter Thursday to incoming Mayor Eric Adams about how rats are taking over the Upper West Side and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell urged the incoming mayor to invest in city-wide rat remediation programs.

"The Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, and Harlem areas have become ground-zero for our city-wide rat-takeover," O'Donnell wrote in the letter. "We have heard reports of rats as large as bunnies roaming the streets and chewing through car engine wires. I’ve seen the impact with my own eyes: families of rats often trail Riverside Drive when I walk my dog at night."

According to the assembly member's office, more than 1,500 311-rat complaints have been reported from ZIP codes in his district in 2021. The total is seven percent of all city-wide complaints.

Specifically, the UWS' 10025 ZIP code has become one of the city's rat hotspots with over 700 rodent sightings to date.

• Read More: Giant New York rats overtaking Central Park and the UWS

"This crisis will only end by owning up to past failures and committing to better management. I look forward to a fresh start under Eric Adams’ leadership," O'Donnell wrote. "In the meantime, I urge anyone who spots a rat to call 311 and establish a record for elected officials to reference as we fight for the rat remediation New Yorkers deserve.”

O'Donnell added that restaurants and local businesses don't need any more "Pizza Rats," and instead more customers to bounce back from the pandemic.