Rats invading area of Rostraver Township

Residents of Adams Drive want the township to take action to get rid of the rodents.

Several Rostraver Township residents are facing a significant rat problem and are blaming a nearby property.

Along Adams Drive, residents Jed Allen and Erin McCay have grown increasingly frustrated with the significant number of rats they’ve had to deal with in recent weeks. They claim a neighbor’s property, which is right across from their house, is responsible for the rodents.

McCay and Allen have stopped letting their children go outside due to concerns about rat droppings and other risks.

“We would be standing out in the yard, and you would see them run across the yard,” McCay said. “One day, his (Allen’s) boy was riding his bike. We don’t even let the kids come out and play anymore. But this boy was riding his bike down there, and it (rat) jumped out of the weeds. I don’t know if he scared it or whatever, and it ran down the road.”

Allen and McCay have placed traps, rat bait and even trail cameras to observe the rats and determine their origin. McCay has dozens of photos captured at night by their trail camera of rats near their home.

Allen said it has now become routine for him to check the traps around their home when he gets back from work.

“I have rat duty now. I check all the traps in the morning, I check all the traps at night, and I rebait them. Like this is my new life, it’s crazy,” Allen said.

According to Allen and McCay, the property is managed by an animal rescue nonprofit called Angels for Everyday Heroes. Allen and McCay said they’ve observed large piles of trash in front of the property entrance and noted the possible presence of farm animals such as pigs on the land.

After a recent report by KDKA, Allen and McCay have noticed an effort to clean up some of the trash around the property.

Allen, who has lived in the Adams Drive home for all his life, claims there have been other spikes in rodent activity in the past due to issues with the neighboring property. McCay said Allen has considered selling his house, but understands there could be issues due to the presence of rats.

Rostraver Township Manager Jeffrey Keffer provided the Mon Valley Independent with a statement saying they’re aware of the issue and are doing everything they can legally to address the rodent problem.

“The Township has obtained evidence identifying conditions that contribute to rodent activity, including the accumulation of garbage, debris, and other unsanitary materials,” the statement reads. “These conditions create environments that allow rodents to harbor and proliferate, posing potential health and safety risks to residents.

“Appropriate enforcement actions have been initiated, and the Township will continue to prosecute violations of its property maintenance ordinances to the fullest extent permitted by law until these nuisance conditions are fully remediated.”

McCay and Allen, aren’t the only ones dealing with a rodent issue. Rats have become an increasing problem for several residents along Adams Drive.

Karen Cain, who lives near from Allen’s house, noticed dozens of rats outside her home on the night of May 17 while she was looking out the window into her garden. Since then, Cain has removed bird feeders from her garden and had an exterminator come to her home.

“I’ve never seen them in the daytime, but I’m afraid here,” Cain said. “I’ll park my car as close as I can to the door, so I can just run in. I won’t open the garage door because I’m afraid that they’ll get in the garage and then be in the house.”

McCay, Allen and Cain said they’ve spoken to other neighbors, and some of them have also noticed an increased number of rodents.

McCay, who owns another property elsewhere, said she has animals of her own and doesn’t have a rodent issue.

“I have 33 acres, and we have animals there, and I do not have a rat problem,” she said. “Maybe the occasional mouse, but nothing like this. Just the one night, I pulled in the driveway (Allen’s), and rats just went everywhere.”

Angels for Everyday Heroes posted a statement Thursday on its Facebook page regarding the rodent allegations. The organization stated that it has an ongoing lawsuit against Rostraver Township.

“We have started to notice rats on our property. We have been working with getting rid of them and contacted Terminix,” the statement said. “In the 12 years. We have been here. We have never had this problem. !!! All of a sudden I get a visit and a letter from the township letting me know I said yes I’m aware of it and we’re addressing it but I thought it funny that I haven’t had rats in 12 years and all of a sudden I have rats now after speaking with Eric Mitchell the zoning officer today.

“They (rats) 100% were dumped on our property along with trash being dumped on our property, now let’s talk Ross (Rostraver Township) owns their own garbage trucks so who else could be dumping trash on my property on an area that is not visited much on my property. I’m not in that area every day and the way my property set up. Anybody can go there at any time and I would not see it.”

McCay and Allen said they just want the issue to be resolved.

“I just want peace,” Allen said. “I want to be able to come out into my yard and sit. Like I want my kid to be able to come out here and do the stuff we’ve done.”