NJ Tenants Left Wading Through Sewage After Severe Backup At Apartment Building

NEWARK, NJ — It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Video from News 12 New Jersey shows the aftermath of last Thursday’s sewage backup on Osborne Terrace in Newark. The footage shows a person clad in rubber boots, wading through a flooded basement area with laundry machines – a splashing noise accompanying each footstep. A thick, brownish, murky sludge floats on top of the water.

And the smell? Overwhelming, a tenant said.

Residents of the building told News 12 that other sewage backups have taken place this year: the lobby and laundry room have been flooded multiple times since June.

“It’s very hard to sleep – to eat and breathe,” said Hugh Vasconcelos, who lives on the sixth-floor of the building.

A maintenance worker arrived at the building to clean the area on Monday while reporters were present, News 12 New Jersey said.

Vasconcelos said residents are demanding that the landlord fix the sewage situation and other alleged maintenance issues, including a back entrance that is open to intruders and a faulty intercom system.

View the full report with video footage here.

Newark Department of Engineering Director James Adams said that after learning about last week’s sewer backup, the department dispatched two inspectors to the scene. The Department of Water and Sewer Utilities also dispatched its own inspectors to investigate.

The culprit? A broken pipe in the building's laundry room.

“Based on the residents' description as it has been relayed to us, the issue appears to be an internal plumbing problem, which is the responsibility of the owner and/or maintenance company,” Adams said.

Last week’s sewerage backup isn’t the first time that city inspectors have made a trip to the building this year.

According to a city spokesperson, Newark has issued the landlords of the building 30 violations over the past nine months. The violations allegedly included heat and hot water problems, as well as garbage issues.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Patch reached out to city administrators seeking more information about the current status of the investigation – and what might come next.

“The city is well aware of the challenges faced by residents at this address due to property management,” Adams said, noting that the People's Assembly Public Safety and Mayor Ras Baraka have recently attended meetings with residents at the building.

Currently, Newark is in court with the landlords involving four separate matters.

“City ordinances dictate that violations be addressed with abatement within a certain time period,” Adams said. “And if no abatement occurs, the matter moves to court.”

City administrators are now recommending that the owner be added to Newark’s “Bad Landlord” list, Adams said.

Mayor Baraka signed an executive order in February to create an annual list of the city’s “worst non-compliant landlords.” According to the mayor’s office, conditions for landing on the list include mismanagement that results in three violations within 12 months for a single address, or five violations within 12 months for landlords with multiple properties.

City officials announced their first lawsuit against a landlord on the list in July.

Tenants in Newark can report unsatisfactory living conditions to the Division of Code Enforcement by calling 973-733-3813.

• Related: ‘Newark’s Worst Landlords’: City Will Compile Annual List, Mayor Says
• Related: Newark Sues Accused ‘Bad Landlord’ As City Ramps Up Enforcement Crackdown

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