Raccoons overrunning community; Fed-up residents blame vacant house

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Raccoons are overrunning a Bronx community, and residents are blaming it on a vacant house that’s been empty and unkept for years.

It’s the most common complaint in the 2400 block of Kingsland Avenue in Pelham Gardens.

“We’re being invaded by raccoons, and we need help,” resident Irene Estrada said.

“I heard, like, fighting, growling, scratching,” resident Steve Shapiro told CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas.

Raccoons, big ones, are just having their way in the neighborhood. Residents say a vacant house at the top of the block is the problem.

Shapiro lives right next door.

“I had them come through my ceiling already a couple of times,” he said.

All of the taxes have been paid on the crumbling property that neighbors say has been empty for at least 15 years. Infrequent attempts at maintenance stopped years ago.

Now, the trash at the end of the driveway is a permanent fixture and foliage in the backyard is overgrown.

“When the summer comes, everything starts blooming again, and it was like a scene out of ‘Jumanji,’” resident Robert Santiago said.

Cell phone video captured officials pulling a raccoon, believed to have rabies, from underneath a car in 2018.

According to 311, six complaints have been made about the property in the last two years, but residents say there have been many more.

“We’ve been going through a cycle of ‘not this department, that department,’” Estrada said.

“I fought for this for over 15 years. No one has done anything about it,” resident Aggie Catechis said.

Now, they’re beyond fed up, just wanting to enjoy their nights in peace.

CBS2 reached out to the Department of Buildings. In a statement, it said it will send out an inspector to investigate.

CBS2’s attempts to reach out to the homeowner were unsuccessful. Residents believe she’s elderly.

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