Rob Fox
A sinkhole opened up on a sidewalk in the Bronx borough of New York City, causing one man to plummet into the ground and on top of a pile of rats.
Videos by Rare
The Bronx Sidewalk Went Down and the Rats Came Up
According to the New York Daily News 33-year-old NYC resident, Leonard Shoulders had been waiting at a bus stop on Third Ave. near East 183rd St. in the Belmont area of the Bronx when the sidewalk literally crumbled beneath his feet. Shoulders tried to hang on but fell 15 feet through the Bronx sidewalk sinkhole and, basically, onto a pile of sewer rats.
Once the Bronx man hit the ground the rats swarmed him so thoroughly that he was afraid to yell for help or even open his mouth because he thought the rats would get into his mouth.
Shoulders was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he is recovering from his injuries. According to family members Cindy White and Greg White, who spoke to news outlets like NBC New York, Shoulders is absolutely traumatized by his experience… that experience being having the earth fall out from under him and then being nearly consumed by giant filthy rats.
Shoulders was eventually pulled out of the rat hole by the FDNY and NYPD before being transported to the hospital. In the interest of public safety, a construction fence is now separating the public from the portion of the sidewalk in disrepair where the sinkhole opened up.
The Man was Seriously Disturbed by the Rats
Forget disgusting but adorable “pizza rats”. These things were foul and frenzied and crawling all over Shoulders. The man is understandably shaken by the experience. Being covered in monstrous rats is probably a, uh, scary situation. Not much else to say there. Hard pass on the rat bath.
