Cockroaches infest woman's NYCHA apartment

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New Yorkers have seen it all when it comes to rats and roaches.

They come with the territory right?

But you haven't seen anything like this in an apartment in city run housing that's been over-run by roaches.

It's left a single mom desperate for help from 7 On Your Side.

They are crawling on kitchen cabinets and scrambling over appliances.

Roaches are seemingly everywhere and even creeping over the fridge.

"You can't even have a drink without a roach jumping up in the liquid?" Nina Pineda asked.

"Yes," said Maria Lozia, tenant.

Maria Lozia isn't joking when she calls this apartment her roach motel.

"I can't live like this, I cannot," Lozia said.

For the past three plus years she's paid rent to NYCHA who runs her building, part of the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the county.

Since last November, when Maria says her roach problem started, she's complained to NYCHA.

"I think so. I do," Lozia said.

Maria says NYCHA exterminated, deep cleaned and left traps throughout the apartment but it did not help.

"We're still having the problem. So that to me feels like they're not helping at all," Lozia said.

No amount of cleaning makes a dent.

Now, her battle's so desperate, she's afraid for her six year old and sent her cancer-stricken dad to stay with other relatives.

"Everything about this house has roaches crawling all over it," said Council member Jimmy Van Bramer, (D) Queens.

Council member Jimmy Van Bramer's tried to help. He says NYCHA's done a shoddy job. "They've got to find out what's behind this. Not just do patch jobs and quick fixes when we know roaches are coming back," Bramer said.

But just hours after 7 On Your Side's calls, NYCHA exterminators were back. Then when they saw our camera they quickly left.

But off camera they blamed Lozia for being part of the problem.

"You seem to be saying it's her fault," Pineda said.

"I'm saying we need cooperation. We all need to work together to exterminate," a NYCHA worker said.

After 7 On Your Side's visit, Maria says NYCHA's scheduled to begin work this Thursday.

"You're losing this battle," Pineda said.

"I am," Lozia said.

A NYCHA spokesperson said that they are working with the residents of surrounding units to find the source of this problem.

The council member is currently trying to move Maria into a different apartment until this problem is taken care of.

CONNECT WITH NINA PINEDA AND 7 ON YOUR SIDE

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