Community stories

October 8th at around 3 am, a fire started in the basement of my building on West 104th st. Not a single smoke alarm went off in the building. The only was we and the neighboring building realized there was a fire was that someone was screaming outside and called 911. It was about 3:41am when I went to my window to see what the screaming was about and I saw people from my building…

Has anyone else noticed that there has been a noticeable increase in folks shooting up on the sidewalk (and hanging out on and sometimes passing out on the sidewalk for hours) on the streets along Morningside Park? I've seen many more needles on the sidewalk as well. I feel for these people, and I hope they get help, but it's really impacting quality of life in these very residential streets that have plenty of children. Any advice?…

I live by Newel and it’s just a lot of stress to take a walk once it’s dark. I make noice getting in to my building and several scatter but all in all, they are all around on sidewalks. After 10 years in the neighborhood this is the worst I’ve seen, and they are not big, so on the younger end. Anyone else noticing this?

I’m several buildings away, but someone in an apartment near trash has what sounds like an entire jazz band that will play for many hours into the night (usually this is a summer issue but since it’s 80 out today I guess the band got back together). It drives me insane. It’s so loud I can hear them several buildings away. It’s a residential block and it makes me feel crazy that it would appear no one in their building cares that a band plays that loud for…

Hi, so my roommate’s and I’s bathroom ceiling leaked 2 weeks or so ago, and I’m assuming it ruined the internal structure and the wiring for the lights. Our super came and just drained the water from the big basin that covers the lights, but he didn’t actually do anything besides telling us to wait for it to dry and then turn on the lights after replacing the bulbs. I’m wondering if this isn’t safe bc the…

Saw at least three cars with smashed windows today around 23rd St and 41st Ave, near Queens Plaza South in Long Island City. There was shattered glass all over the sidewalk, and some of the cars still had bags and other belongings visibly left inside. Honestly, it almost looks like someone was smashing windows just for fun rather than trying to steal anything. What’s even more concerning is that this happened right outside…

Beware of this new insurance scam: Guys on the street will flag you down to divert your attention while their buddy in the car in front of you stops short I live in Southern Brooklyn, probably the capital of car insurance scams, and I think I saw a new one today. I was driving along with the windows open and a couple of guys flag me down from the sidewalk, screaming like it was urgent. I glance at them, glance right back in front of me and the person in front of me was stopping short. I…

Yeah basically the title. My building which is nearly 100 years old smells incredibly harsh and poisonous, making returning home bleak. It’s definitely coming from the lobby and stairway. I moved here about two months ago and immediately noticed a baked-in musty smell in the stairway, kind of like someone is permanently cooking/burning chili. NOW, in addition to that, it smells overwhelmingly of paint thinner or some other harsh chemical, and sometimes I see…

The noise is insufferable - makes going out to relax and enjoy green-space impossible.

Over the last week I’ve noticed a SIGNIFICANT amount of roaches in my apt, the laundry room, the trash room. I was just opening the door to the garbage room and one actually fell from the top of the door as some on the ground scattered away. I understand this is common in buildings and a major contributor is the current temperature. But omg this is so disturbing. The monthly building exterminator just sprays the common areas and it doesn’t do much. I just used combat and…

I’ve lived in a basement unit apartment in Queens for the past 2 years and only once have I seen a huge roach in my home (that I knew came from outside). In recent weeks, I’ve seen two small roaches and another last night. After further research it seems like these are German roaches and I should be acting fast. As well my apartment gets incredibly hot in the summer, and due to shitty electrical we usually can only use about 1 AC unit. Like everyone else we have no…

I live in a rent-stabilized, prewar (90-year-old) 49-unit building in Queens. I just moved in about a month and a half ago. Since moving in, I’ve had my own private exterminator (paid monthly, separate from the building’s service) treat for both mice and roaches. This is due to warnings from the other tenants that the exterminator and super are not very good. **Mice**: Found and sealed an…

​ I live in a small studio in and. have never seen a roach inside my apartment in the 3 years I've lived here. Over three years, I've only seen three roaches. One on the wall in the hallway most recently, one out of the elevator shaft and one in the stairwell. I woke up this morning and see it in the middle of my floor. It was moving very slowly and was able to kill it. I reported it to management and they're scheduling an…

Hi all, I just signed a studio lease on sunday in Sky “luxury” apartments, but i’m having an insane roach issue. I’ve probably seen close to 75 roaches since moving in 5 days ago. They are in my fridge (I haven’t stored any food), my dishwasher, my oven, my bathroom. I’ve been documenting this with management over email and haven’t been able to sleep, let alone live in my apartment. I start a new job Monday and…

Seems like Sotto La Luna is unilaterally turning half of 35th Avenue parking into valet parking (in contrast with the city posted parking signs) Anyone have any idea if this is permitted by the city? Will be submitting a 311 complaint if not

Water tank at Jackson Park overflowed and flooded units/hallways. All 5 elevators in Building 2 were shut down Thursday and management has slowly have opened one, now two elevators. Queues to get up to the unit have been a nightmare. To get down, we had to call the front desk to call an elevator and the front desk was overloaded and wouldn't even pick up, so we'd have to call over and over again for 20+ minutes. Elevator would then take 10+ minutes to even free up. Has…

200 block of East 83rd.....

Has anyone else experienced problems with Crown Hill on Nostrand near Park/Sterling? Outside of the theatre being the result of deed theft, every time there is a major event there the business does NOTHING to facilitate the mass exodus of people often at 2,3, or 4am. The resulting chaos leads to an absurd amount of double parking by Ubers who pick people up in front of the venue, thus causing *insane* amounts of honking in the middle of the night. I know…

Hi everyone, I've been living in my apartment for the past year and recently noticed some long cracks developing in the walls. I reached out to my super, but he took a look and brushed them off, saying they aren't a big deal. I'm still skeptical because the cracks are quite long. I've had friends personally recommend that I report this to the DOB to prevent structural collapse, but I'm thinking of escalating it to the landlord first to see how they handle it. What would you…

Two tan dogs and one brown and tan dog on Schenectady Ave near St. John’s Park, all three of them are emaciated and they have a litter of puppies. Today I witnessed their owner physically throw one of the dogs into a metal fence and another woman strike a dog hard across the face with a metal leash. This is my second 311 complaint where I’ve described the incidents of physical abuse against these dogs. These episodes happen multiple…

Just noticed this an hour ago. Anybody else see it?

I get there is a problem with vermin but what the f-ck - dog owners beware

I've lived in a rent controlled apartment in the Bronx for over 4 years now. We've had repeated issues with flooding due to water tanks leaking/bursting. All the tanks are kept in a storage room on the top floor, so when they go they ruin my apartment which is right below them. In violation of code, this room with the tanks doesn't have a drain, the tanks aren't in pans, and there are no water alarms. We've now had 3 major floods. I'm talking water…

Lumen LIC is cutting off gas, yet again, and this time it cut off hot water as well. 48+ hours

Lately the Williamsburg commute from the bridge to Bushwick has been increasingly dangerous. On this afternoon’s commute, there were 14 cars and trucks parked in the eastbound bike lane on Grand Ave. 3 more on southbound Morgan between Grand and Flushing, though that’s normal. When traffic is moving fast, this is much more dangerous for riders moving in and out of the bike lane. The auto shops on eastbound Grand between Bushwick Ave and Morgan are by…

I have noticed an issue that seems to be escalating more in the past few weeks, and was wondering if anyone else has as well: The police are creating very unsafe traffic conditions near the 9th precinct. Often when the light is red on 4th street between 1st and 2nd, if there is a police car caught at the light after a few seconds of sitting there they will turn on their sirens and lights and make people move to the side or go through…

Hey Brooklyn community, I’m posting to see whether anyone else in Bushwick / 11221 has experienced similar issues with mail delivery through the Bushwick Post Office. On September 30, I encountered our regular mail carrier at the entrance of my building while she had a package addressed to my apartment. The package was too large to fit through our mailbox slot, so…

Does anyone know what’s going on with the natural gas smell that’s been noticeable by the pool house on the 7th Avenue sidewalk of the park? It’s been this way for at least a year. I’ve even had a friend say they called it into the FDNY who came and I guess laughed it off. I’ve also seen National Grid doing some testing around there in the spring. I assume if the FDNY cleared it, it can’t be that bad, but I…

Apparently there was a party or bbq behind the baseball field yesterday. Broken glass, food, and trash left behind. Empty liquor bottles too. Thanks. Keep it classy.

The neighborhood has a recurring issue of young unemployed men riding mopeds up and down the street, particularly around Havemeyer and S. 1st and 2nd St. It's about 2 to 3 individuals - all riding modified mopeds down wrong way streets, riding on the sidewalk playing chicken with pedestrians, and revving doing wheelies. it's mostly an issue because they do this all day long, every single day of the week. patrons at L'Industrie Pizza have complained to me about…

I’m talking about John Vincent Daniel’s park (Right next to 52 street subway station) What use to be a nice quiet park is now completely and I mean completely littered with garbage. Aside from that every night you hear the Bluetooth speakers playing and open alcohol consumption. Playing music and having a beer is no biggie really but a combination of this and trash everywhere makes this park feel unsafe for families at night (10:00 pm) Anything we can or should…

Riding over the Wburg Bridge is one of the greatest NYC experiences there is. Unfortunately it feels increasingly dangerous. In particular, the operators of scooters and mopeds whipping jnto the oncoming lane around the turns at the top of the ramps and passing at high speeds are incredibly reckless and there’s really no excuse for not braking to safely make a blind turn or just chilling until it’s safe to pass and overtaking at a reasonable speed. If you…

For some reason there seems to be a pigeon sanctuary forming directly outside our apartment building for the last month or so - people pouring seeds & pieces of bagels in front of our building’s entrance nonstop every single day. And our sidewalk + lobby is absolutely covered in pigeon shit & loose feathers. When I open our door, there is a freaking massive flock flying all around😭😮‍💨 If you ever ask any of them to…

Abandoned school busses linger in curb-protected #bikeNYC bikelane on Vernon Blvd by Costco at Broadway in LIC Astoria Queens.

The rats outside my apartment building are atrocious. They're huge, they fear nothing, and they're incredibly well fed by the row of trash cans that aren't properly sealed. There's a burrow in the tree bed on the opposite side of the sidewalk, so they also dart across the sidewalk regularly, and sometimes even run across the stairs since the trash is right next to the front door. I've begged management to do something and filled at least 10…

I know lots of people in the neighborhood probably know the whole saga of the Hebron SDA church and school on Park Pl -- basically, they sold half the lot to a developer a few years back who built one of those giant new apartment buildings, and as part of the deal they were supposed to pay to restore the church and school buildings, but now they seem to have reneged, since nothing has happened in years. As is, both buildings are falling apart.…

I have this guy block my driveway (and also hydrant) every few days and I’ve already talked to him a few times but he just continues. He’ll usually block it sometime around 11PM to 2AM and leave usually by 7AM, so that when I call 311, they almost always come after he’s left. He left around 9AM once and managed to get him a ticket but before I could call a tow truck. Last night he came in while I was throwing out the trash and I tell him he has…

Has anyone spotted the apparent serial pooper on Nassau? My wife and I spotted a very human pile in front of Tony’s pizza last week and just this afternoon I saw the culprit relieving himself on the corner of Nassau and Humboldt to the side of the barber shop. Looked to be a homeless man, clearly on something because after he finished he rolled over on the sidewalk and took a short nap with his pants still down. Wondering if anyone else spotted the serial pooper of Nassau Ave

Tonight’s smell is unbearable! I really feel bad for the people who live above and in front of that shitshow. Imagine paying a fortune to get front tow sits to a trash debacle. I can’t believe this building is allowed to do this. I’m sure is the main cause for the rat infestation in John Jay as you see them running in and out of the mountains of trash. Something must be done with this building waste management. Just wanted to rant about…

Anyone at 1 QPS: please check behind your HVAC — I found deteriorated insulation / possible mold contamination I live at 1 QPS in Long Island City and have been in my apartment for about 10 months. I recently checked behind my HVAC unit and found several large pieces of loose/deteriorated insulation sitting behind the unit, with significant discoloration that looks like possible mold…

These photos are all from a three-block radius of my Hell’s Kitchen studio, all but one from the same two week period. I commute by bike myself, but I regularly see riders of all kinds—commuters, deliveristas and casual riders—using the sidewalk instead of the bike lanes. I’d say I see an average of two cyclists on the sidewalk every time I walk my dog. (These are only the shots I managed to get my phone out in time for and that came out more or less in…

Neighborhood poll survey before I escalate this bs in housing court! Going on on a routine basis for several months and more frequently this month. Typically on Mondays and Tuesdays and ALWAYS starts later in day around 6 or 6;30pm. all water sources. only cold water. (I do not use a boiler, my unit has its own hot water gas heater) Never been notable reason otherwise nearby (hydrant/ construction/ fire etc) Let me know if you have had this also…

Almost 12 hours and counting without water… Apparently a massive hole/break in a water pipe on Fulton/Fort Greene Place has caused a water outage in the neighborhood since 11ishAM. Anyone with any other updates? UPDATE: Contractors still need to replace the pipe! Hopefully water comes back today! Keep filling up those gallon containers at the hydrant turned water station!

The nor'easter gifted us a leak in the corner of our bedroom. It's nothing serious, water is not gushing in or anything like that, but it has created a major stain on the ceiling, our ceiling is damp and there is some dripping onto the floor. (We put towels down.) Obviously we would like this repaired ASAP. I've filed a maintenance request and I'll follow up with a text to the super tomorrow. I realize that it's tough to guesstimate without actually seeing…

Does anyone hear that beeping noise on grand central parkway? It’s been going on for more than 12 hrs and sounds like a smoke alarm. I don’t think it’s a car

Who takes care of this? The old, stone section is fine. Where it switches to concrete, it’s all tipping inward. Photos in order over a week; seems to be expanding/getting worse. A whole 20+ foot section on the right side of steps around 76th street/fountain entrance. But then again, they also haven’t planted new grass in this part of the park (72-79) since at least early 2024 or done much more than police the park in their little white cars for dogs off leash.

I recently moved in and I’m on the higher floors so street noise isn’t an issue. But I keep hearing this huge thumping and it’s so jarring! It’s like sporadic and happens more on weekends/at night literally sounds like someone is slamming something 50 lbs against my wall/ceiling I can’t even tell like sometimes it’s so loud it vibrates my unit. I’ve gotten some of it on video and sent it to management. Management has been helpful they contacted all my neighbors but…

someone smashed into the smoke shop, walked by and there were a few cops out there, asked what happened and they said a robbery. i hate these smoke shops but this is terrible. had a stabbing the other night too. what’s happening in this neighborhood? took this pic around 8pm

Has anyone else noticed a surge in used syringes all over the place on Myrtle Ave? I saw a pile of them all over the sidewalk the other day in front of El Dorado and more scattered elsewhere on my walk to the Myrtle/Wyckoff stop.

Morning! I am just wondering if anyone else noticed the increased airplane noise? I know that we usually get lots of airplanes when the weather is cloudy and rainy, and they tend to fly pretty low. But for the past week, I noticed that it has gotten worse, every like 3 min, and that the airplanes fly very low. I am wondering if this is because of the UN Assembly, the rerouting, and the previous massive outage at JFK?

Like most people I have sympathy for mentally unwell people on the street but has anyone ever had run-ins with the dude that always has spit and snot all over his face (seen on Nostrand or Bedford between Fulton and Atlantic) I've seen him for for at least a couple years and he's pretty aggressive. He'll follow you and try to corner you until you give him money. I've seen him chase other people down the sidewalk before too. Anyway just had another run in…

For the last few years large piles of trash (henceforth "Trash Mountain") have accumulated in Sunset Park and linger in one position for 24-72+ hours. This problem has gotten particularly bad in the last few months. The main reason is that bags are deposited for staging daily, but is not collected every day. As of a couple of hours ago, the oldest trash has been in Trash Mountain since Saturday morning (today is Tuesday) and the…

Our parks need a composting program. The amount of people that dump “last week’s leftovers” to feed the animals is too damn high. On the opposite end of the fence has so many rat holes and rat dens due to excessive feeding at this tree. STOP DUMPING FOOD

Bensonhurst Park needs a composting program. The amount of people that dump “last week’s leftovers” to feed the animals is too damn high. On the opposite end of the fence has so many rat holes and eat dens due to excessive feeding at this tree. STOP DUMPING FOOD

Someone keeps putting full curry dinners with bones, rice, etc onto the dirt/grass area between the sidewalk and the road on Austin near 125th. There is no home directly in front of where I keep seeing this happening, so someone seems to be crossing the street in order to dump food out onto the tree lawn. What is the purpose of doing this? Are they leaving it there to feed the rats? Is this composting? Do they not want to put the food into their…

Some of you may have seen the post or article about residents of E 83rd between second and third Avenues who are being terrorized by an out of control rat infestation on that block. Or you may just be familiar with how horrible this particular block is. I’m one of the residents who is leading the charge to get the City, particularly the Department of Health (DOHMH) to do something about the issue. I’ve put together a one pager on how affected residents can get involved in my…

I live on Hooper Street and lately every single time I leave or return to my home, no matter the time of day, I have to walk through a group of people actively doing heroin or meth at the corner of S 1st and Hooper on the steps of the church. I see the baggies, I see the needles, I see the sales. Daily. I urge anyone else who has witnessed this and had enough to begin reporting active drug use or violence to the police and to please…

The homelessness on 6th Ave between 23-26th street has gotten as bad as I’ve ever seen it. The 2 bros on the corner has been swatting off beggars for years now, but it seems as they’ve given up or the homeless set up shop just right outside. There used to be a guy in a walker who would piss across the entire sidewalk aiming for the bike lane. Today there was a man ejaculating in the fake bushes by the bodega. Another one knocked out in the…

I live in an old pre war building in LIC. I LOVE this apartment and location, however when I moved into the apartment 2 1/2 years ago I noticed a fly problem. This was before plants and full furniture were moved in. We put fly catchers all around and after a couple of days ~80 flies were on them each. I didn’t think anything of it because I thought they were left over fruit flies from the past resident. A month or so in, the flies persisted.…

Just what it says on the tin: Verizon parked this truck on 46th between 11th and 12th last winter, where it quickly became an eyesore. They can stay because at first they paid the tickets piling up on the windshield, and then they got some kind of permit that allows them to stay there, so long as they provide a whole ~5 feet of open widewalk space (barely big enough for a…

To preface, I am a Bronx native, have been living in the Claremont neighborhood for over 20 years. I am unfortunately desensitized to seeing open drug use and people loitering in the Bronx/NYC outside of a bodega all day. However, since COVID the crime and number of addicts seen around the area has definitely spiked over the last few years. This is especially evident on Jerome and grand concourse, specifically near the 4…

Does anyone near the constant chirping of a smoke detector in the back yards of the area around Jefferson / Malcolm X / Hancock? It’s been going for over two weeks now.

I saw a post about this last week and wondered if anyone else can hear it. It’s now chirping nonstop every few minutes. Long shot but if you live in this area, please check to make sure it’s not coming from your home. 🙏

Anyone else on 66th Ave (next to the hospital) dealing with a power outage right now?

Is anyone else experiencing a power outage in Queens village?

Anyone else experiencing Con Ed power outages?

Has anyone else just lost power? Mine just went out. Does anyone know what’s going on or how widespread the outage is?

Wakefield section Con-Edison said maybe we’ll get power back around 2:00.

The sidewalk tree that is next to our building has a serious rat infestation under the tree beds. There are three holes where rats consistently come in and out... I have reported to 311 a few times, and it doesn't seem they are taking care of it. I'm thinking of just doing it myself to close those f**king holes by filling them with dirt or rocks, since the building next to us doesn't seem to care either, and I have been doing…

https://reddit.com/link/1v90jlh/video/lzm0akyzfzfh1/player The sidewalk tree that is next to our building has a serious rat infestation under the tree beds. There are three holes where rats consistently come in and out... I have reported to 311 a few times, and it doesn't seem they are taking care of it. I'm thinking of just doing it myself to close those f**king holes by filling them with dirt or rocks, since the building…

She's a real peach this one!