Fed-up NYC tenant creates 24/7 livestream of rats in his walls — what he sees has him losing sleep

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Live from New York — it's Rat-urday Night!
A fed-up Brooklyn tenant battling a rat infestation in his Crown Heights apartment has been live broadcasting the pests' nightly antics to pressure his landlord to take action.
For the last two weeks, Adam Schleser's live 'Rat Cam' has captured rodents scurrying over beams, screeching, chewing, and even fighting — all above the kitchen ceiling of his apartment in the six-building Brooklyn Jewish Hospital apartment complex.
'They're just there,' Schleser told The Post. 'I just hear the rumbling as they run from one side to the other, screaming.
'And now that I've got a camera, I can see them,' he added. 'They're really up there. They're fighting, or sometimes they're just sitting quietly, looking around for God knows how long… just there.'
His management company, Alma Realty — owned by Efstathios Valiotis, a billionaire named New York City's third-worst landlord in 2016 — has sent exterminators 13 times to deal with the infestation that started in October 2024, but Schleser claims the problem has only worsened.
When The Post visited this week, the rats could be heard scratching and squeaking in his bathroom, and boxes of baking soda were left out in hallways to mitigate the smell of decaying rats in the walls.
Exterminators routinely dropped poison into holes in the ceiling of Schleser's apartment, sealed them with caulk, and left, the tenant claimed.
The insomnia caused by the persistent nighttime rat noises has led Schleser to express his turmoil through music.
His song 'I Am a Rat,' layered with ambient static, plays during the live feed — which he accomplished by threading an illuminated borescopic camera up a small hole in his ceiling and connecting it to a wifi transmitter.
'Everyone makes you feel crazy. You just have to scream. I haven't even talked about the psychic pain and anxiety,' Schleser said.
'The sleepless nights, the earplugs, the noise machines, every single night for weeks at a time. It's just insane. And sometimes it's just a little scratching noise,' he said.
Residents of the complex have been plagued by rat issues, according to documents and photos provided by Schleser and other tenants.
In January, Schleser began organizing tenants of the building complex through WhatsApp, where 26 residents in other units reported similar issues — most of them reporting rats in their walls at night or lurking inside their apartment, according to building poll data reviewed by the Post.
The complex is connected underground by a tunnel system, and many, like Schleser, share a wall with the Neptune Diner.
'I'm not just advocating for my fellow tenants,' Schleser said. 'I'm advocating for the employees of this company who also live here. This has become my second job.'
Alma Realty, which owns the building, has defended its pest control response, blaming a perfect storm of construction projects in the area for the recent uptick in rodent sightings.
In a statement, the company said management began implementing a 'multi-layered plan' in early 2025 after the first wave of complaints.
That includes 'daily inspections by on-site building staff, weekly visits from a licensed extermination firm to bait and treat… and sealing all known and potential entry points.'
The complex 'has consistently met or exceeded citywide benchmarks over the last two decades,' Alma stated.
'Any recent neighborhood-wide increase in rodent sightings should not be viewed in isolation,' the company said, pointing to MTA construction along the nearby Franklin Ave Shuttle, plus new development across the street, and work at a local nursing home.
'Only one tenant out of 700 apartments is currently withholding rent, and the referenced legal matter, which has been settled, has zero connection to this property or issue,' according to Alma.
Still, official inspections have turned up problems. Upon visitation to one building of the complex, inspectors confirmed one rat-related violation inside a unit. Two more were issued at a trash compactor room during a Housing Court inspection, according to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The management company has been under fire in recent years for hiring racist contractors, Gothamist reported.
In 2023, the city sued Alma over its mismanagement of 13 other buildings, which had allegedly allowed them to fall into disrepair. The lawsuit featured complaints alleging neglect and unresolved vermin infestations, according to the filing.
Alana Gaymon, a fellow tenant at another building of the Jewish Hospital complex, has also heard rats in her walls for the past year.
'I'm living a sleep-deprived life,' she said. 'They run in the ceiling right over my bed.'
'They drill holes, drop poison, close it up, and come back a week later. It doesn't work. Nothing's resolved,' she said.
When she spoke to The Post, she had just left Housing Court over rat-related violations.
'I told the judge, rats are nocturnal. You can do an inspection during the day and not see a thing,' she said.
Gaymon also slammed management for denying that complaints exist.
'Adam [Schleser] mentioned to me they say, 'No one else has complained,' which is hilarious,' she said. 'I brought a mass email to court from Alma admitting the rat issue in 713 and 523 [buildings of BJH]. So we know they know.'
Alma meanwhile insists that its extermination plan is aligned with Department of Health protocols and that the neighborhood's rat complaints are 'not in excess of the problem facing the city at large.'
For Schleser, the live stream continues as a 24/7 reminder of what it sounds like to live with rats just inches away from your head.
In February, he began withholding rent, and Alma hit back in March with a non-payment case — but the fed-up tenant isn't going anywhere.
'I mean, this is an inordinate amount of time. It's affected my relationships… It's kept me from seeing my family. But, the fight, the fight is what matters,' Schleser said.