Chicago Tenant Wakes to Rats Gnawing His Face Amid Ongoing Infestation Dispute

In a disturbing incident in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, tenant Rigoberto Hernandez awoke around 3 a.m. to find rats gnawing on his face while he slept in his ground-floor apartment. Hernandez suffered swollen eyes and deep cuts across his forehead, requiring emergency medical treatment including antibiotics and a rabies vaccine. Despite treatment, his eye remains severely inflamed.

Hernandez, a member of the Fuerzas Activas de la Damen tenant union affiliated with the Chicago Tenant Union, claims the building has suffered from a severe rat and cockroach infestation for months. The tenant union accuses the building management of neglecting maintenance requests. However, ARK Management, which oversees the property, states it has invested over $1.5 million since March 2025 to renovate more than 20 units and improve the complex. The company also revealed Hernandez is undergoing eviction proceedings for eight months of unpaid rent and has refused offers to relocate to renovated apartments.

ARK Management issued a statement emphasizing their commitment to providing safe housing and cited communication challenges with some tenants as a barrier to resolving maintenance issues promptly. Tenant attorney Jake Marshall-Brown countered that landlords remain responsible for building upkeep regardless of rent payment status.

This incident coincides with new scientific research revealing that urban rodents are evolving resistance to common poisons and becoming smarter at avoiding traps, complicating pest control efforts in major cities. Experts warn that traditional extermination methods are losing effectiveness and that increased pesticide use may harm non-target urban wildlife.

The case highlights ongoing tensions between tenants and landlords over pest control and building conditions amid a growing rodent problem in urban environments.