Every major metropolitan area has some sort of a pest problem, and New York City is certainly no exception. New York City is notorious for its cockroach population, but cockroach activity in the big apple typically does not require the attention of the local police force. However, a cockroach-related incident that occurred in Schenectady, New York during the year of 1979 did, in fact, require the attention of the New York City Police Department. Although this incident occurred nearly forty years ago, it is still discussed today among pest control professionals as a sort of horror story.
Thirty-nine years ago a couple of police officers received a call from dispatch about a noise complaint at an apartment building. Once the officers arrived to the scene they discovered what was likely the most horrifying sight that they had ever seen. The entire street outside of the apartment building had been crawling with “millions” of cockroaches. Before exiting the vehicle, the two officers also noticed that all of the nearby trees had been completely covered with roaches. The streets were not even visible to the officers, as they had become entirely covered by the massive cockroach population that had gathered in the area. The cockroaches were so plentiful that the police officers were immediately bombarded with biting cockroaches upon exiting their cruiser. As the officers walked toward the building they noticed that they were ankle-deep in live cockroaches. Eventually, the police officers arrived to the reported apartment unit where a dog had been barking loudly. Upon entering the unit, they found a sixty four year old woman who had become badly injured from numerous cockroach bites. She was taken to the hospital, but not without difficulty, as the roaches in her unit were piled from the floor to the ceiling. At least this is what an animal control officer at the scene reported upon arriving to assist the animals in the building. Sadly, the animal control officer found that many of the woman’s cats had been partially consumed by the cockroaches. Eventually, a three block area, as well as four police cruisers underwent fumigations in order to full eradicate the cockroaches.
Have you ever heard of someone sustaining dangerous bites from cockroaches?