Tenants furious as water gets shut down for a day at Newark apartment complex
Those residents living at Forrest Hill Towers at 555 Mount Prospect Ave. told News 12 they were given no notice that the water would be turned off.
Tenants at a Newark apartment complex are furious that their water was suddenly shut down for close to 24 hours.
Those residents living at Forrest Hill Towers at 555 Mount Prospect Ave. told News 12 they were given no notice that the water would be turned off.
"I went to use the sink, and I’m saying 'Ok there's no water,'” says tenant Michelle Tucker. “I went to check my emails to see if there were any notices and nothing."
The Newark Water Department says the property owners had an outstanding balance of $400,000. The department in a statement added the water bill for the apartment towers – which consists of 17 floors -- had not been paid from November 2021 until May of this year.
“Tonight is the first night of Rosh Hashanah, to which I can’t celebrate because I had no water to do the cooking and normal functions,” says tenant Miriam Lanxner-Erull.
"Air conditioning isn't required, yet it’s coming though the same system as the heat,” says Tucker. “We're all concerned that this winter we're not going to have heat. Many of us had to purchase our own personal air conditioners to get through."
News 12 reached out to the property owners for a response, but no one was available due to the holiday.
State officials conducted an inspection last year, with the violation report listing a history of maintenance violations that impact the health and safety of tenants.
