An Upper East Side mother took to social media with a warning for other parents that quickly spread on social media — the sandbox in the playground at John Jay Park, located on East 77th Street between York Avenue and the FDR Drive, was now home to a native New Yorker: a rat who apparently had taken up residence there.
“Word of Caution — There is a rat in the sand box [sic] at John Jay Park,” wrote Gina Scott in a post to the Facebook group Moms of the Upper East Side last Friday, April 14th, which included a photo of the rat, adding that “it looks like she made a burrow and is hanging out there.”
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“I reached out to 311 to report [the rat],” Scott added in replies to commenters that that she believed the rat “was stuck and ultimately needed a way to get out.”
“I tried my best to brainstorm some ideas to build a ramp on limited supplies, but she burrowed deeper into the sand,” Scott explained.
Upper East Site attempted to contact Gina Scott for this article, but our efforts were unsuccessful.
At John Jay Park on Tuesday morning, there was no sign of the rat in the sandbox, just a child playing inside. One park-goer immediately inquired whether we were looking for the rat — noting it had been circulating all over social media over the weekend.
“This is New York City, we got rats all over the place,” she said, explaining how she had seen 15 rats lingering together in the park after closing time last summer.
“Oh my god! I had to delete the video,” the woman said, “My skin just crawled.”
Upper East Site reviewed 311 records and found a single service request for a rodent sighting at John Jay Park just after 11:00 am from last Friday. Social media users also reached out to New York City Council Member Julie Menin, who represents that part of the Upper East Side.
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“My office was informed of an unsanitary condition in John Jay Park and immediately reached out to the Parks Department who addressed the condition and will be subsequently baiting the entire park,” said Council Member Menin in a statement to Upper East Site.
“Park space is vital in our dense neighborhood and must be clean, safe, and accessible for all New Yorkers,” Menin added.
Upper East Site reached out to NYC Parks for clarification on the efforts being taken, but did not immediately hear back.
