Rats Ate His Face: Tenant Complained to Landlord of Rodent Infestation for Months Until One Gnaws on His Face

A Rogers Park tenant says months of urgent warnings regarding a rodent infestation were ignored, resulting in a frightening encounter when he woke to rodents chewing on his face. The incident has intensified public scrutiny of a long-standing landlord-maintenance dispute at a Chicago apartment complex.

Heriverto Hernandez, who resides in a garden-level flat, claims he had repeatedly informed management about the presence of pests before the attack occurred. According to an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, Hernandez had returned home after a late shift and was asleep when he was jolted awake at 3 am by movement on his skin.

A Night That Turned Into a Medical Emergency

Hernandez says he had repeatedly raised concerns about rats in his garden-level flat before the attack. He had returned home exhausted after work and was asleep when he was jolted awake at around 3am by movement across his face.

'I was sleeping at night. I work in the city, and I was really tired. I went to sleep, and [the rats] attacked me around 3 a.m. I felt them on my face and threw them off of my face,' Hernandez told the broadcaster through a translated interview.

Photographs published by the outlet showed visible cuts across his forehead and swelling around one eye. Hernandez later sought hospital treatment, where he received antibiotics and a rabies vaccination. Fox 32 reported that irritation to his eye has continued in the weeks since the attack.

Hernandez said the incident did not come without warning. He told reporters that he had spent months documenting rodent activity before the attack.

Residents and Landlord Offer Starkly Different Accounts

Hernandez is among dozens of tenants represented by Fuerzas Activas de la Damen, a tenant union affiliated with the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance. The group has alleged that rats, cockroaches and unresolved maintenance issues have affected multiple flats within the Rogers Park apartment complex.

Building management disputes the suggestion that it has ignored conditions.

ARK Management told Fox 32 that it has invested more than $1.5 million in improvements to the property since March 2025 and has renovated more than 20 units as part of wider rehabilitation work.

The company also said Hernandez has not paid rent for eight months and is currently involved in eviction proceedings. According to management, he has been offered relocation to a newly refurbished apartment on several occasions but has declined.

'Our objective has been to improve the building, address longstanding issues, and provide safe, quality housing for our residents,' ARK Management said in a statement.

It added that difficulties communicating with certain tenants had delayed maintenance work and contributed to misunderstandings over repairs.

'We believe this has created unnecessary delays, misunderstandings, and obstacles to resolving maintenance issues promptly.'

The company also said it treats 'any allegation regarding tenant health and safety extremely seriously'.

While tenants argue that infestations have persisted despite repeated complaints, management insists it has invested heavily in upgrading the building and that it has faced challenges completing repairs.

Legal Responsibility Remains at the Centre of the Dispute

The attack has also drawn attention to the legal obligations landlords face when disputes over rent and eviction overlap with questions about housing conditions.

Jake Marshall-Braun, an attorney representing tenants in related litigation, said eviction proceedings do not remove a landlord's duty to maintain safe accommodation.

'A landlord's responsibility to maintain their building does not end when a tenant is behind on rent or is in eviction proceedings,' he told Fox 32.

The case highlights an issue that housing advocates have long argued extends beyond a single property. Under Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, landlords are generally required to keep rental properties in a habitable condition, including addressing pest infestations that threaten tenants' health or safety. Those obligations remain separate from disputes over unpaid rent or ongoing eviction cases.

An attorney representing the apartment complex's landlords did not immediately respond to the New York Post's request for comment.

Urban Rodents Are Becoming Harder to Control

The incident also arrives as researchers warn that controlling rodents is becoming increasingly difficult. A recent scientific study found that house mice are developing genetic resistance to commonly used rodenticides, while rats continue to adapt their behaviour to avoid traps. Researchers say those changes could force cities to rethink traditional pest control strategies as infestations become more resilient.

Scientists also cautioned that widespread use of rodenticides may unintentionally harm birds of prey and other wildlife that consume poisoned rodents, raising broader environmental concerns alongside public health risks.

For Hernandez, the experience has become the latest flashpoint in an ongoing dispute over housing conditions, leaving unanswered questions about whether earlier intervention could have prevented a tenant from waking to one of the most disturbing consequences of an unchecked infestation. For residents in buildings like the one in Rogers Park, the scientific difficulty of pest management offers little comfort.