The 5th Avenue Apple store in Manhattan has reportedly been crawling with bed bugs for nearly a month.
A bed bug was spotted April 12 in a manager’s office after several weeks of other bug sights, according to a report published Tuesday by the New York Post. Employees began to freak out about the bugs.
The 5th Ave Apple store has been crawling with bed bugs https://t.co/0RJas2sfg9 pic.twitter.com/ScOENtwNtz
— New York Post (@nypost) April 15, 2019
“It was just mayhem,” an employee said. “There was a mass exodus … employees were freaking out they felt really unsafe and management kept giving them the runaround.”
Another Apple worker said that the staff has felt very unsafe the past month. (RELATED: Bed Bugs Found On Chairs In Kansas City International Airport)
“I shouldn’t have to go to work feeling unsafe and unprotected,” another employee said. “We felt very anxious, used and unimportant, like we were just another number.”
Employees claim the first bed bug was spotted three to four weeks ago after a corner had to be roped off during the overnight hours. The bugs are believed to have been brought into the store by the homeless people who often frequent the 24-hour store in the middle of the night.
An exterminator was brought in and employees were told everything was fine. However, a week later an employee reportedly found a bug crawling on their sweater and took a video of it. Management again brought in another exterminator for a spray.
The store, which is open 24 hours and 365 days per year, closed for six hours due to a “water leak,” an employee said. Management has allegedly since told staff that the issue has been resolved.