“A million cockroaches everywhere”: NYC woman’s ceiling busts open, spilling cockroaches into her apartment
A woman went viral on TikTok after sharing a frightening experience in her New York City apartment: She said her ceiling collapsed in the middle of the night, causing water and cockroaches to leak.
Carol (@bycarolynd) explained that she had just returned from a trip and was washing her face when she noticed a large crack in her ceiling from the corner of her eye. She messaged her landlord, but since it was late, he told her he couldn’t come until morning.
Her problems didn’t stop there. A few minutes later, Carol said she heard things falling from the ceiling.
“I turn on the lights and go look, and pieces are falling,” she said.
While inspecting, she said her entire bathroom ceiling caved in.
“Guess what comes with it? A million cockroaches everywhere,” Carol added.
Things didn’t improve immediately, but Carol mentioned they started to get better after a few days. As of Friday, her initial video had over 300,600 views.
@bycarolynd sorry I look like this just got done crying for 2 hours :) #nyc ♬ original sound - bycarolynd
What happened after the ceiling fell?
Carol said it wasn’t just cockroaches—water was leaking from her apartment’s ceiling, too.
She spent $200 on a hotel. Normally, she said she could handle it—she’s not high maintenance—but the cockroaches made her afraid to sleep there.
In a second video, she explained she left for the hotel wearing what she had on, with no toiletries or clothes, because she didn’t want to touch anything.
“I don’t know how I’m ever going to sleep again at my apartment knowing the scene that I just saw and a fear that the ceiling is going to cave in on me,” Carol said.
@bycarolynd update … ????
♬ original sound - bycarolynd
Still, she added, “New York teaches you to be resilient,” and she returned to the apartment the next day.
Woman returns to her apartment
The next morning, Carol said she was terrified to go back. She was visibly upset and said she’d only slept about 30 minutes, thinking about all the bugs crawling around while she was gone.
From the hotel, she messaged her property management, sent photos and screenshots, and requested a cleaning service and compensation for the damage. She also filed a claim with her renter’s insurance, following advice from commenters.
When she returned, Carol said she sprayed “every single inch of my floorboards” with roach spray. To her surprise, the landlord and workers responded promptly.
“They came right away and worked all day fixing it,” she said, noting they were respectful of her belongings.
Carol said she’s working on getting reimbursed for the hotel, and her landlord is covering a deep cleaning service and paying for the cleaning supplies she bought herself.
“Overall, my spirits are up,” she said.
Viewers say they’d move out immediately
Commenters who watched Carol’s video said her “crash out” was completely valid—and that they, too, would’ve freaked out if their apartment’s bathroom ceiling started leaking water and bugs.
“When you said it unleashed the roaches, forget it,” one wrote. “I could never go back there.”
“The roaches traumatized me, and I wasn’t even there. I’m so sorry,” another added.
“I’d leave the country or state immediately,” a third quipped.
Some suggested Carol seek compensation from her landlord—but it seems like she’s already on top of that.
“Ask for reimbursement for your hotel,” one person advised. “You are entitled to it!”
“Landlord is legally required to foot the bill due to unlivable conditions,” another said.
“Make your landlord reimburse you for the $200 hotel,” echoed someone else.
Others simply offered sympathy and encouragement.
“Girl, I’m so sorry, that’s horrendous,” one commenter wrote.
“This is a horror movie, I am so sorry,” said another. “Hoping it all gets fixed soon.”
“That’s what hell sounds like to me,” added a third. “Omg so sorry this happened to u.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Carol via TikTok comment.
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