Neighborhood Nuisance: A spreading cockroach infestation on Hayden Street

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A cockroach infestation is becoming an epidemic in one Toledo neighborhood and neighbors say the unwelcome insects are all coming from one house.

A small house on Hayden Street is becoming a big problem for those living nearby as the inside of the house is filled with trash and cockroaches. Now, neighbors are finding the bugs on their properties and they’re taking matters into their own hands.

“Yeah, they’re freaking crawling all over,” Chris Szyskowski, a neighbor said. “This is disgusting.”

Neighbors say the house has been vacant for about a month.

“I went in, and I was like, ‘God, this is horrible. I don’t know how anyone could live in this,’” Szyskowski said. “There was like rotten, moldy food, trash, clothes, bugs all over the furniture. It was just, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Emily Gravelle, who also lived near the house, has also noticed the problem and says the cockroaches have spread to her property.

“You know they’re coming in through the doors, through any little cracks in the window,” Gravelle said. “We’ve already had to call an exterminator out. We’ve spent, oh my god, hundreds of dollars in chemicals just to try to treat around the house on the insides.”

Szyskowski decided to suit up and set off roach repellant inside the house on Hayden Street. He says he shouldn’t have had to do that.

“What is the city going to do about this?” Szyskowski asked.

13 Action News brought the issue to the City of Toledo’s attention. A representative tells us a code compliance inspector will visit the house soon and they’ve already made a referral for the health department to visit too.

If there is a property in your community that has become a neighborhood nuisance, reach out to Sophie Bates on social media or by email at sophie.bates@13abc.com.

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