A landlord in the Bronx has been fined for a foul odor in his building that spread the odor throughout the city, but he insists it's just a “fart complaint.”
John Crotty, co-owner of the East 147th Street Housing Development Fund Corporation, received a $1,000 citation from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene due to an odor that inspectors identified as resembling “animal waste.” I was in trouble after receiving this.
“There are nuisance situations in which a foul odor resembling animal excrement is detected at the bottom of the aquarium.” [the] stairwell in [the] “The lower-level façade of the property,” reads a violation letter issued Sept. 23 by Sanitation Inspector Eric Han for the 21-unit apartment complex at 539 East 147th Street.
A copy of the violation document states the minimum fine: $1,000.
But Mr. Crotty, in a foul-mouthed tone, told the Post that the only thing that stinks is the subpoena.
“This is completely outrageous,” Crotty said, denying there was animal waste in the building.
“That's a fart complaint,” he added, joking that the health inspector might have been “doused in pesticides.”
Crotty and Building Superintendent Rashad Puliat said they have received $50 tickets from the city sanitation department for violations related to defective trash cans and garbage collection issues. We will then address the problem to reduce odors and prevent rodent infestation.
But a $1,000 fine from the health department for a mysterious odor is unprecedented and harmful.
Crotty plans to fight the subpoena in the city's Administrative Judicial Hearings Board on Oct. 28.
Architectural Supermarket's Priat also denied there was any animal feces on the premises.
“No, there was no animal waste. These people are crazy,” he said.
He provided the Post with photos of the building and sidewalk from when he cleared the trash on Sept. 23, when the odor of poop was allegedly present.
The complex is located in a dense, high-traffic area with public school 277 next door.
“It's not me. It's this area. Around here. Especially when it comes to smell,” Priat said.
“I don't know what else to do.”
A long-time resident said he had noticed a strange odor for several days, but didn't think much of it.
“There was definitely a smell,” the resident told The Post on Monday. “But it only lasted a few days.
“It could just have come from the trash. There are a lot of people who have pets in the building, so it could just have been something that got stuck in the trash,” the resident added. Ta.
“I don’t smell it now,” they said. “I didn't see it on the ground, but it smelled like it for several days.”
Section 7 of the city's health code provides for a $1,000 fine for “failure to abate or remediate” nuisances such as odors.
A DOH spokesperson defended the fine, saying, “The Department takes action when problematic situations are identified and promotes livable neighborhoods and housing.”
The official also said the violation indicates there was indeed “animal waste” on the property.
Data was not immediately available on how many such odor violations the department notified landlords of.
Overall, the DOH issued 48,298 citations in the 2023-2024 fiscal year ending June 30, with nearly 75% of the violations acknowledged, according to the Mayor's Management Report.
The health department regularly inspects the sanitary conditions of restaurants that sell food to the public, but not apartment complexes.
It is likely that the tenant or someone else called 311 and notified the police department.
Mr Puliat, who lives in the building, said he felt he was being targeted and claimed he had spoken to neighbors but had not received a ticket.
“I've definitely been bullied for sure,” the super said. “That's not fair.”
