Paterson homeowner Jose de la Cruz says he's paying the price for the blight, from cracked walls and leaks to mold and rodents.
Delacruz said the adjacent abandoned land next to her home is in disrepair, putting her family's health and safety at risk.
“They have to tear this house down and build a new one because that's the only way,” he said.
Dela Cruz lives at 885 Madison Avenue, but is concerned about the neighboring home at 887 Madison Avenue. He says the property's front and back yards are covered in trash and overgrown shrubbery attracts wildlife. He said homeless people sometimes sleep on the balcony.
After several calls to the city inspector general's office, Delacruz turned to his brother-in-law, Javier Garcia, for help. Delacruz said the abandoned property is not only making his family sick, but rodents have invaded his home.
“One of them fell through the ceiling and landed on my child's bed. Luckily, the child wasn't in the room at the time, so I had to get a big raccoon and take him away,” Garcia said. said.
Garcia says she doesn't feel well when she drives by her house. “They just bought this house. They used to live here and rent, and they bought a house. They want it to look nice. But when they look next door, the value of the house has gone down. Everyone here,” Garcia said.
“When it rains heavily, the rain comes into the house and hits the walls, so I tried to fix it, but I can't,” Delacruz added.
City officials are now stepping in to help. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayet said the Department of Community Improvement, Code Enforcement and Public Works will be touring the site this week.
“The preliminary notice I received was that this facility could be condemned. But, as I said before, it was cleaned and boarded up and then the lives of these people were removed. We will take the necessary measures to ensure the quality of the “residents of that neighborhood are no longer at risk,'' Sayegh said.
Sayegh said there is a process to seize property from homeowners, but he would do so if necessary.
