Raw sewage, a second-floor walkup and a 14-hour wait for help are how Bronx NYCHA tenant Gloria Castillo describes one long night in her apartment. Castillo, a longtime nurse and mother, says sewage poured into her second-floor unit twice in a single night, soaking the place and leaving it, in her view, unlivable. She told reporters that the first repair attempt failed, the sewage came back later that night, and she and her son no longer feel safe staying there. They are asking NYCHA for temporary housing.
According to FOX 5 NY, NYCHA maintenance initially snaked the bathtub to get water moving again, but the backups returned. Crews then broke into a bathroom wall to open a pipe and drain the trapped sewage. In video obtained by the station, workers can be seen using buckets to keep Castillo's tub from overflowing. Castillo told the outlet she was informed asbestos was found in the wall and that workers then covered the area with plastic and duct tape. NYCHA told FOX 5 that "NYCHA staff are actively assisting the resident, addressing the repair, and following standard environmental protocols."
Other Residents Say Sewage Is a Regular Visitor
Castillo's nightmare is not an isolated mess. Tenants in other Bronx developments say raw sewage and stopgap fixes have become a grim routine. News 12 The Bronx has reported residents at a Highbridge complex complaining that sewage has been backing into apartments for months. And CBS New York has previously documented recurring leaks at other NYCHA sites, where tenant leaders say old waste lines often get only temporary repairs instead of real replacements.
‘Completely Negligence,’ Tenant Says
Castillo has not minced words about what she is living through. She called the situation "completely negligence" and said the stench and damage make the apartment impossible to tolerate. "I don't even have words. Like I call this completely negligence," she told FOX 5 NY. She also said elevators were shut down as sewage spread into hallways and common areas, turning normal building routines into a health hazard. Castillo is pushing NYCHA to move her family to temporary housing while repairs continue.
Why the Problem Persists
NYCHA's own 2023 Physical Needs Assessment pegs the systemwide bill for capital work at roughly $78.3 billion. Advocates say that enormous investment gap helps explain why pipes and waste lines keep failing. The authority's report describes aging infrastructure and repairs that will require large capital projects instead of quick patch jobs. The full analysis is detailed in NYCHA's PNA.
City lawmakers have managed to secure some targeted plumbing and waste-line funding through land use deals, including money to modernize plumbing at Queensbridge Houses. Officials say upgrades like that are meant as longer-term fixes to deteriorating waste systems. A summary of that package is available from the New York City Council.
For tenants like Castillo, though, the fallout is immediate. She is facing ruined belongings, a powerful stench and worries about health risks from raw sewage and possible asbestos exposure. Residents dealing with emergency sewage flooding are urged to document all damage, report the problem to NYCHA and 311 and ask about temporary relocation if a unit is deemed uninhabitable. In Castillo's case, officials have not provided a timeline for permanent repairs.
