Families evacuated from dilapidated building in Newark

NEW JERSEY - Forty-seven families have been evacuated from a dilapidated apartment building in Newark’s South Ward, just before Thanksgiving.

A complaint from resident prompted a building inspection, leading officials to order the evacuation.

“It’s a five-story building, there’s no elevator, the stairs were atrocious, mold, the fire safety doors were broken, filth, vermin,” said Newark Chief Litigator Gary Lipshutz.

The 55-unit complex is not a Newark property, but a HUD building sold to private owners upstate. FOX 5 NY attempted to contact the building owners, but was unsuccessful .

The evacuated families are being temporarily housed in two hotels new downtown Newark. The city says that Thanksgiving dinner will be held for them at one of the hotels. 

There is an unofficial deadline of Friday for the building’s owners to make it habitable for residents to return. A December 5 court date has also been set where a judge wants to hear about the status of the repairs from the building owners. If the court does not find them acceptable harsher penalties and further action could be taken against those owners.