Upper West Side files most rat complaints

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The Upper West Side has New York City's largest most rat-ridden neighborhood for two years running, city data shows.

In 2012, residents of the wealthy Manhattan neighborhood filed more than 1,183 "rodent complaints" with the city's 311 hotline, the New York Post reported.

"This is out of control. They are big, fat and are well fed -- and they are getting smarter," said James Johnson, 24, a cook in the neighborhood. "[Upper West Siders] pay a lot of rent, and the rats are living for free."

The neighborhood with the second most complaints was Brooklyn's Bushwick, where residents lodged 965 complaints.