Rats On The Run: Hoboken Council To Vote On Hiring Exterminators

HOBOKEN, NJ — This past April, Hoboken Councilman Ruben Ramos was walking his dog near First and Madison streets, in the city's southwest corner, when he heard a woman "screaming bloody murder" behind him, he said.

He turned around and saw what had frightened her: a family of five rats dashing across the street.

Hoboken's relatively recent rat problem has become so prevalent that now, people have a quiver of rat horror stories to share.

Two weeks ago, one rat (seen in the photo above) was sniffing around baby carriages at Eighth and Bloomfield streets on a sunny Friday. It then ran into Bloomfield Street, was hit by two cars, and inspired screams from two moms who were nearby with kids.

Then, there was the unfortunate photo posted on the internet recently of a rat in the window of a local business, prompting some sympathy for the business owner.

"I think you have to look at the root cause of the problem," said Councilman Ramos, who lives on the west side of town and has been speaking out at council meetings for months about the issue. "This is not something that was happening two years ago. What's the source?"

Ramos theorized that the deep digging for the Northwest Park may be a culprit, as well as construction in Union City on the Palisades hills, and outdoor dining.

A recent story in the New York Times on the Manhattan rat problem also cited wet weather, pandemic changes, and other matters.

Regardless, rats carry 35 diseases, the CDC says. So the problem has to be dealt with.

Last month, the city began putting bait in certain neighborhoods, said city spokesperson Marilyn Baer.

"The city is baiting near sewers between Fifth Street and 10th Street from Monroe Street to Garden Street," she said in late July. "The city also baits near reported problem areas on an as needed basis. Like other municipalities across the region, the city has seen an increase in the rodent population due to more people staying home during the pandemic."

Several recent sightings were north and east of that area, however.

Up For A Vote

At this Wednesday's council meeting, the city will take further action.

Councilwoman Emily Jabbour noted in her newsletter this week that the council is set to vote on a contract with Paramount Exterminating Services in Union County on Wednesday.

The resolution for the $44,000 contract can be found here.

Ramos said that he hopes the city takes other measures, such as encouraging businesses and residents to follow proper procedure with trash cans. Ramos said that the Hoboken Business Alliance has also been discussing measures to take, like more baiting.

Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher noted earlier this month that half of the messages she gets from residents these days are about skunks, rats, and spotted lantern flies.

Residents have, indeed, reported seeing more wildlife around Hoboken in the past two years, from raccoons to deer running in the street.

"The city asks all members of the community to help keep Hoboken clean and green by keeping garbage in covered containers, picking up pet waste, and not littering to eliminate rodent food sources," Baer said. "Property owners should also remove weeds and overgrown vegetation on their property to help eliminate rodent habitats. The Hoboken Health Department continues to inspect reported areas of rodent activity."

Residents can report rat sightings directly to the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420-2375.

What's your experience been? Comment below.

How To See The Council Meeting

The City Council meets Wednesday at City Hall at 7 p.m. The meeting can be viewed on Facebook with this link.

The meeting agendas on the city website also list other directions to watch and participate via Zoom. Here are the agendas.