'We’re terrified to lose our lives.' West Farms tenants living in fear over building’s decrepit conditions

The building is home for many elderly residents and children, and residents are worried for the health of those groups that reside there.

Marisa Marcellino and Adolfo Carrion

Dec 14, 2023, 10:58 PM

Updated 360 days ago

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Tenants in a West Farms apartment building say they’ve been dealing with raw sewage, vermin and crumbling infrastructure.  
David Figueroa and his fellow residents at 2103 Honeywell Ave. have been living in fear over their list of issues they say plague their building and their homes.  
“We’re terrified to lose our lives, not just from the building collapse but also from maybe a lung sickness or hepatitis or something like that,” says Figueroa.  
News 12 crews walked through the building and were met with the smell of sewage, spotting holes in the floor of the first-floor hallway.  
The building is home for many elderly residents and children, and residents are worried for the health of those groups that reside there. They say they’ve made numerous complaints to the landlord, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and 311 regarding the conditions.  
“Home should be that sanctuary where we are safe,” said Jeannette Bocanegra, building resident and leader of Justice for Families.  
News 12 reached out to Honeywell Towers LLC, which oversees the building, and they hung up.  
News 12 has reached out to HPD regarding the building’s complaints and violations and received the following statement:
“Every person deserves to have a safe and comfortable place to call home, and it is the property manager's responsibility to follow the City’s Housing Code by promptly addressing violations. HPD has been extremely active in this building over the last few months, and will continue addressing tenant complaints, conducting inspections, and issuing violations to ensure that all New Yorkers feel safe and secure in their own homes.”