A Bed-Stuy man says his storage unit turned into a nightmare after discovering a severe mice infestation.

He claims the facility did little to help, and now he says he’s out thousands of dollars. For 18 months, David Burke rented a unit at Public Storage on East New York Avenue in Brownsville, but in May, he walked in to find something that made him physically sick. “Just tons and tons of mice, feces, mice, urine,” Burke explained. “The aroma was so pungent, they clearly had nested in the carpets, pillows, textiles.” Photos show everything from mouse droppings, dead mice, live mice and damage to his clothing, rugs, artwork and furniture. “I was upset,” said Burke. “All of our life possessions were there, basically people who use storage are in transitions in life. They're either transitioning to jobs, new cities, new apartments and it was upsetting.” Burke says he spent six days cleaning the contaminated unit himself. He wasn’t provided with PPE and he had to miss work. He says all he has to show for it is a $25 credit while continuing to be billed rent. “As we're cleaning for six days, I'm seeing young families bring in their baby cribs and their baby clothing," Burke recalled. "There's no notification other than me in the elevator saying, ‘I'd be careful, you know,' and some people don't know about the pathogens that mice carry.” Burke says he was never even notified about the mice infestation. He stumbled upon it himself while visiting his Brownsville storage unit. He says he immediately alerted the city's health department. City records show that the city did inspect the facility in late May, and the health department issued a nuisance violation after finding mouse droppings throughout the third floor. He says the storage facility hasn’t compensated him. “They just give you a number for their subsidiary Orange Door but they say there's a $250 vermin clause and a $100 deductible,” Burke explained. “It's really hard to get in touch with that company. I sent them a demand letter. I've talked with the manager. I waited 10 days to see if they'd clean the carpets because I didn't want to bring the carpets with all the fecal matter into my home. I wanted them to be picked up and cleaned, but I ended up doing that on my own and coordinating with a cleaning service.” The Bed-Stuy man already filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the New York Attorney General’s Office, and he filed a small claims lawsuit. He says he is out nearly $10,000, including damages to his property, lost wages and cleanup costs. He says his insurance claim was denied because of a vermin clause in his contract. “It's just disappointing to know that there really aren't protections for people against this and that this most people are worn down by the process and give up," Burke said. News 12 reached out to Public Storage about these issues, but so far it has not responded. Burke is pushing for full compensation and hopes sharing his story will help change regulations for people dealing with similar infestations.

The Health Department responded with the following statement: "The Health Department inspected this commercial storage facility in May 2025 and ordered the owner to remediate pest conditions. We conducted a follow-up inspection and found the conditions had improved. We continue to follow-up. The public can check the Rat Information Portal Rat Map to view that work DOHMH has done on this and any property. "