Man Catches 15 Rats In Hoboken; Candidates Offer Competing Rat Plans

HOBOKEN, NJ — Rich Bean, who lives on the west side of Hoboken, said he's never seen rats in his neighborhood until about nine months ago, and now he's caught 15 of them.

He's particularly concerned about the pair who've been visiting at night, believing one might be pregnant.

"I don't know for sure if that is a female," he said, "but I'm guessing so, and yeah...she is looking big."

Bean is among many residents who've suddenly seen a rat explosion in the mile-square city.

"This past spring I noticed there were several holes in our garden," he explained this week. "We called an exterminator, who placed three bait stations in our yard in early June. After about 10 days of no results and me watching rats, in broad daylight, run across our yard, I went to Home Depot and Ace Hardware and purchased snap traps and glue traps for around $100. I had immediate results. In about 10 days I managed to eliminate 15 rats. My neighbors, next door, eliminated about 10 or so."

He added, "The good news is it looks like the bait stations are all empty, bad news is that there are two rats that are coming around our yard at night one is particularly large. Female rats can reproduce every 21-25 days and have up to 12 litters of 5-12 pups a year. It's just a matter of days before we are fighting the next litter of rats."

He said he put in a request to the city for help with the issue earlier this month and is waiting to hear back.

Whether it's due to streateries, rains, construction (both in Hoboken and on the hills), residents are fed up with the increase in rats in Hoboken, first reported last year.

And with a council election looming in fall, several candidates have recently come up with rat plans or released public statements about the rat problem.

Second Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher had said late last month that at the behest of a neighbor, she'd invited a group of rat-attackers from New York, who brought their terriers to Hoboken to hunt the rodents. READ MORE: Pups Patrol Catches Rats In Hoboken

Last week, the Hoboken City Council voted in favor of a new city plan to combat the problem, including mandating that apartment owners use containerized garbage cans. (Read the city's plan here.)

Earlier that day, 1st Ward Council candidate Paul Presinzano released a plan to "fix the rat crisis." In a release, he said, "It consists of five parts and focuses on the community working together to ensure its success."

He has also launched a petition to demand the city take quicker action and released a Rat Reporting Tool, all of which can be found on his website, www.presinzano4hoboken.com.

And 5th Ward council candidate Liz Urtecho, who represents the northwest part of town, released late last week a reporting tool for her area, as well as a rat plan. Her plan and tool are here, along with a nice picture of a dead rat.

Among her suggestions, "Create a Citywide 'We Are All In This Together' Campaign using Nixle, mailers, and direct community outreach to maximize awareness and educate what needs to be done together to solve the growing crisis."

Residents' growing frustrations, along with the November council election, may mean the rats' days (and nights) are numbered.

The nine-member City Council is slated to hold its final vote and public hearing on the garbage container plan this Thursday at 5 p.m.

Rat 'Hotspots' In Town

Councilwoman Fisher said that her rat survey for residents in early July proved useful, as it helped identify eight to nine specific rat hotspots around the city.

But she has also moved onto the next potential health hazard that her constituents are buzzing about, which is near 14th Street and Park Avenue:

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