- Herivierto Hernandez was bitten by a rat while sleeping in his Rogers Park apartment, leading to hospital treatment.
- Hernandez is part of a tenant union that has raised concerns over ongoing maintenance issues and a rodent infestation.
- The building's management disputes allegations of neglect and cites communication challenges with the tenant union regarding maintenance requests.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Just over a month after an Illinois nurse and mother was found dead following an hours-long attack inside her Schaumburg home, another disturbing case out of Illinois is making headlines. This time, the danger did not come from a person, but from something living inside the walls.
Woken Up by a Rat on His Face
Herivierto Hernandez lives in a garden-level apartment on Damen Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood. He says rats have been a problem in his building for months. About three weeks ago, that problem turned violent.
Hernandez had come home after a long day of work and gone to sleep. Around 3 a.m., he woke up to something on his face.
"I felt them on my face and threw them off my face," Hernandez said in a translated interview with FOX 32 Chicago.
It was a rat. It had bitten him while he slept.
Injuries and a Trip to the Hospital
The attack left Hernandez with visible injuries. Photos shared through the tenant union show his eye swollen and red marks scattered across his forehead. He says he is still dealing with irritation in one eye.
Hernandez had to seek medical treatment afterward, including a rabies shot and antibiotics, as a precaution against infection from the bite.
"There are a lot of rats," Hernandez told FOX 32. "I already killed so many."
A Building Already in Dispute
Hernandez is part of a tenant group called Fuerzas Activas de la Damen, or FAD, which represents more than 60 residents in the building. The group has been in an ongoing dispute with the building's owners over rent increases and what tenants describe as a pattern of ignored maintenance requests, including the rodent infestation.
"Recently a tenant in the building awoke to a nightmare situation: rats in the unit had bitten him on the face in his sleep," FAD wrote in an Instagram post sharing Hernandez's story.
The union has used the incident to highlight what it says is a broader pattern of neglect by the property's management.
Management Pushes Back
Imran Khan, a representative of building owner ARK Management, told reporters the company takes any allegations involving tenant health and safety "extremely seriously." However, ARK also said Hernandez is currently in active eviction proceedings and is behind on rent.
Hernandez has confirmed he is withholding rent, saying he will not pay "until they fix everything" inside his apartment.
ARK Management also pointed to what it described as communication breakdowns since the tenant union became involved.
"The greatest challenge we have faced in accomplishing that goal has been our inability to communicate and work directly with certain tenants," the company said in a statement. "In our experience, a third-party tenant union has inserted itself between management and residents, insisting that communications, repair requests, and negotiations be routed through the union and its attorney rather than directly between management and tenants. We believe this has created unnecessary delays, misunderstandings, and obstacles to resolving maintenance issues promptly."
A City-Wide Problem
Chicago has long struggled with a reputation as one of the most rat-infested cities in the country, and rodent complaints across the city have continued to climb in recent years. For tenants like Hernandez, the issue is no longer just an inconvenience — it has become a matter of physical safety.
Hernandez says he is now seeking compensation for what happened to him. As his eviction case continues, he remains in the apartment where, three weeks ago, he woke up to find a rat on his face.
To view more cases of negligence and shocking living conditions, check out our video here:
