Pittsburgh neighborhood overrun by rats pleading for help from the city

PITTSBURGH — Everywhere Jennifer Nail looks, she can’t seem to escape a constant rat problem in Brookline.

“Rats run under my feet and hide under my flowerpots and torment my dog,” Nail said.

Nail isn’t the only person in Brookline that is living in fear of rats. There are quite a few of her neighbors experiencing the same thing.

One of her neighbors that Channel 11 spoke to off-camera said that he sees rats on Rossmore Avenue all the time.

He hopes they don’t creep into his home.

Nail said that she has set up traps all over the place, and her dog has even helped out too.

“He’s definitely killed at least six or seven,” she said.

Nail said that she reached out to Channel 11 after nearly 20 attempts of contacting the city. We reached out to the city about this issue but haven’t heard anything back.

The city does have a rodent baiting program where someone can come out to put a baiting station on the property that is good for about 200 mice or rats.

Nail said that she and other neighbors have signed up for the program.

Neighbors are left hoping overgrown weeds and trash that they see on other people’s properties will go away and hopefully fix the problem, but they aren’t holding their breath.

“These are our homes. This is the most valuable thing I have is a home, and it’s being destroyed by vermin,” Nail said.

Nail said within 24 hours of the story airing on Channel 11, Councilman Anthony Coghill visited her and that the owner of one of the properties also offered help.

Pittsburgh neighborhood overrun by rats pleading for help from the city