A dispute is taking place over who is responsible for a sinkhole in the backyard of a Bridgeport family’s home.

When the family bought the property in the city’s North End, they had no idea a sinkhole would appear after a heavy rain 15 years later.

"There's schools nearby, so I figured this was going to be a great community,” said 34-year-old Jerome Jackson.

But during a heavy rainstorm in the summer of 2020, he saw the sinkhole appear and captured it on video.

"When I looked there was this big sinkhole and I'm like, where'd that come from? And she said, I don't know!" he said.

Jackson says the six-foot drop is also a safety hazard, especially for kids.

"We need to have it fixed. If not, somebody's probably going to lose their life or somebody's probably going to get hurt really bad,” he explained.

However, when he approached the city, Bridgeport officials told him the drainage pipe is on private property, so Bridgeport is not liable for repairs.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says his office is trying to see if newly available federal infrastructure dollars can be used to help the family, since drainage water eventually makes its way to Long Island Sound, which is federally protected.

"I'm concerned about this sinkhole because it jeopardizes a wastewater pipe that could pollute this area or Long Island Sound,” said Blumenthal.

In the meantime, Jackson is putting down railroad ties to keep anyone from falling into a pit that he says could easily put him into just as deep of a financial hole.