Lafayette Coney Island to reopen following second rat infestation
The Brief
Lafayette Coney Island is set to reopen next week.
Officials say the rat infestation has been solved, with a renovated basement.
This is the second time they have had an infestation since 2022.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - One of Detroit's most popular and oldest Coney Island's was closed because of a rat problem, but now the city says they can reopen.
What they're saying
The Detroit Health Department decided to call a press conference Tuesday to announce the reopening of Lafayette Coney Island, a month after the famous downtown attraction was shutdown due to a rat infestation. It cause led to the health department monitoring Lafayette Coney Island until they could get training and make repairs up to code.
What's next
The good news is that they were able to get there, according to chief public health officer Denise Fair Razo.
"It's night and day, literally from the new lighting, from the modernized equipment they have in place," she said. "And of course, we asked them to seal all potential pest entries."
The health department said that Lafayette passed inspection and took care of all the concerns addressed by the environmental health inspectors.
Everything downstairs has been replaced and is now all brand new.
"Everything is new," said co-owner Sam Sergei. "We closed everything, we fixed everything new floor like I told you everything."
The backstory
This was, unfortunately, not the first time rats have shut down the famous Coney Island.
In 2022, Lafayette Coney Island was shut down following a failed health inspection.
Then, rat videos from inside were posted onto social media and health inspectors found droppings inside.
Workers at Lafayette said the problem starts with rats from a nearby garden who make their way inside the two empty spaces in the building — and then through holes in the basement wall at Lafayette.
Customers at the Lafayette Coney Island recorded video of rats inside the renowned restaurant.
"I see rats, a mouse, Tom and Jerry," said customer Dion Hastie who watched the video.
Someone tagged the city's health department in the video, leading to them sending inspectors there immediately.
Lafayette should be selling its Coney dogs as early as Wednesday morning.
The Source
FOX 2 was at a press conference at the location and used information from previous stories.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Snapchat records lead to child pornography charges in St. Charles County: Police
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – A man's Snapchat records led to his arrest and felony charges in connection with a months-long child pornography investigation in St. Charles County. The St. Charles Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Nico E. Baskin, 22, of St. Charles, with two counts of possession of child pornography. Baskin was formally charged on March 5. He remains jailed on a $200,000 cash-only bond. He'll be arraigned on July 8. According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, a St. Charles County officer was assigned in January 2025 to investigate a Cybertip, originally submitted from groupchat platform Discord to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip included eight images classified as child pornography. Missouri Senate approves $100M for St. Louis tornado relief In February 2025, a second Cybertip, believed to be connected to the initial case, was assigned to the St. Charles County Police Department. That tip included 29 images classified as child pornography, all of which were reported as being saved to and uploaded from a user's Snapchat Memories, per court documents. Around that time, officers obtained a search warrant for an iCloud email address believed to be linked to the suspect. While no images or videos were recovered, account information provided the suspect's name, phone numbers, and additional email addresses, along with emails from Discord and Snapchat indicating rule violations and account suspensions, according to court documents. Baskin was identified as a suspect some time later. Investigators found multiple social media accounts under his name, including profile images that matched descriptions of the individual seen in Cybertip photos. Investigators learned Baskin had previously been on the sex offender registry in St. Charles County. Evidence indicated he was living at a hotel with the same address linked to the Spectrum Business IP address in the Cybertips. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Baskin was then arrested on March 4. Police said Baskin claimed he had no phone number, email address, or social media accounts, but confirmed he had been living in a St. Charles hotel, per court documents. Police later interviewed a family member who said Baskin lived at an extended stay hotel in St. Charles for nearly six years. According to court documents, Baskin also had a prior child sexual exploitation charge in Kansas, and is listed on the registered sex offender registry in both St. Charles and St. Louis counties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Caught on camera: Troy teens allegedly stealing doorbell cams, police say
TROY, Mo. – Police in Troy, Missouri, say they have received reports of multiple people in a dark-colored Dodge truck tampering with and even stealing Ring doorbell cameras from homes in the area. They said multiple homes have been targeted in the early morning hours over recent days. A video shared by police shows a teenager running up to someone's porch and attempting to rip their doorbell camera from the wall before running back to the dark truck and driving off. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Neighbors told FOX 2 they either saw the teens themself or captured them on camera trying to steal other cameras. Police are asking residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately, ensure your security cameras are properly secured, and check your security cameras for any suspicious activity. They also say if your ring camera or property has been stolen or tampered with, you should contact the Troy Police Department to file an official report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Volunteers aid tornado victims from various states
ST. LOUIS – There is an influx of help for St. Louis tornado victims coming from other states. Texas and Oklahoma are among those teaming up with Missouri and making an astounding difference in the May 16 tornado relief effort. The Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief group was on the ground and delivering its first meal in St. Louis less than 24 hours after the tornado hit. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The group is now delivering 2,500 meals-a-day. At that rate, they're near the 40,000 meal mark. The group here is part of a network of 42 Baptist relief organizations that have been active for almost five straight months now. 'We've been going since about the third week of January: started with ice storms, then tornado, tornado, after tornado. We've been stretched so thin,' said Edgar Barnhill of Charleston, MO, which is near Sikeston in SE Missouri. So, the Missouri team has turned to Oklahoma and now Texas for reinforcements. The operation has run non-stop, with the salvation army delivering the meals, manning meal 'pick-up' locations and covering the cost of all the food. The labor from Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief is free of charge and all volunteer. Most of those working here now are far from home. They handle every task, from start to finish, in what is essentially a massive mobile restaurant. Those getting the meals say they're blessed. Those making them say it's the other way around. 'Why do you do it?' FOX 2's Andy Banker asked Barnill. 'Service,' he said, choking up a bit. 'Jesus did it for us. He asked us to do it for the least of these, your brothers. What we do gives people hope. If people get hope, then they can start healing.' He says the group is also staffing laundry and shower operations in St. Louis. As with the cooking operation, those efforts will continue 'until further notice.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
