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Woman Traumatized By Rat Attack: “I Don’t Want To Ever Take The Subway Again”
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 10, 2012
Modified Jun 10, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 10, 2012
Modified Jun 10, 2012
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On Friday morning, a woman was thoroughly freaked out after she was attacked by a rat on a southbound A Train. Ana Vargas, 40, felt the rat inside her pants scratching her; she couldn't shake it out, so she ended up taking off her pants in front of other commuters. And now Vargas has PTSD from the experience: “I’m still nervous about it. I had to take pills to get to sleep last night because of what happened,” she told the Post. “I don’t know what I’m going to do to get to work, but I don’t want to get on the train.”
“It was the most embarrassing moment of my life,” said Vargas, who is a Times Square hotel worker from Yonkers. After she took her pants off, other passengers tried to help her—but she ended up taking matter into her own hands: “I grabbed his head, because he was scratching me. I didn’t want it to bite.” The attack happened just before she reached the 59th Street Columbus Circle Station; when she got there, cops took her to Roosevelt Hospital. She was given anti-virus and anti-rabies shots, and treated for the many scratches on her leg.
In a statement, the MTA said they would investigate how the rat got onto the train, and conduct additional inspections: "We routinely clean subway cars, station platforms and track areas of debris that may attract rodents," the MTA said. "Additionally, we use both pest control contractors and in-house exterminating forces to bait track areas and non-public station areas."
It sounds pretty terrible, and Vargas is truly terrified of getting back on the subway now—but on the bright side, Vargas should be happy that no buckets or Ticklers were involved in her ordeal:
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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