Neighbors outraged over claims that cats were trapped in vacant Sheepshead Bay building
Advocates and neighbors say they’ve seen and heard cats behind gated windows at the Beachbrook Therapeutic Nursery School, which has not been in use.
More Stories
Community members are claiming several cats have been trapped inside a vacant nursery school located in a New York City Housing Authority property in Sheepshead Bay.
Advocates and neighbors say they’ve seen and heard cats behind gated windows at the Beachbrook Therapeutic Nursery School, which has not been in use.
“They’re trying to get out. There’s no access for them to get out,” said Suzanne Hernandez, an animal advocate who has been pushing for their release.
The situation gained traction on social media, with posts and videos showing cats inside the facility.
“I randomly, just two days ago, came across a Facebook post,” said Kristina, a concerned Brooklyn resident. “It infuriated me because I saw all of this evidence that there are cats inside this facility, that it is locked and nobody’s doing anything.”
The building is NYCHA-owned but leased to the Beachbrook Therapeutic Nursery School.
Rachel, the school’s executive director, said she was alerted to the situation over the weekend and responded quickly.
“I was here right away. We went through,” she said. “There was a cat. We released the cat right away.”
NYCHA confirmed the cat was removed and added that cameras have now been installed to monitor the space.
In a statement, the agency said:
“NYCHA is aware of concerns raised about cats allegedly inside the Nursery School on the Sheepshead Bay campus. In coordination with the space's tenant, NYCHA staff are conducting regular searches and have located and removed one live, unharmed cat. NYCHA has also installed a video camera for additional monitoring, and at this time, there is no evidence of additional cats in the space.”
