Residents inside Trenton high-rise apartment complain of AC issues: 'It's been like hell'

TRENTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Some residents of a high-rise apartment in Trenton, New Jersey, say they haven't had air conditioning for weeks, making Tuesday's sweltering heat even more unbearable

Inside Kingsbury Apartments, the temperatures soared to 80 and 90 degrees, according to some residents.

Aaaliyah Jackson's daughter is immunocompromised and is relying on fans Tuesday night.

"My daughter had four organ transplants. She has a trach (tube). She has a feeding tube and nursing care. They have a lot of older people in there who don't have air. They need to have people come out here and fix this," said Jackson.

Blue Kamera has lived at the apartment for years and said she has consistently had HVAC issues in summer and winter.

"We shouldn't have to live under these conditions. There are people on oxygen tanks, elderly people. Why we gotta live like that because we live in subsidized housing?" asked Kamera.

Tasha Hall said the lack of air in her unit has been ongoing for more than a week.

"It's been like hell. There is no air. It's been going on for two weeks," she said.

But building management spoke at length with Action News over the phone Tuesday and explained the 50-year-old building, which was neglected for years, recently came under new management. Building officials say efforts to fix the HVAC system have been underway for several months.

Management said the main air conditioning unit is operating at 100%, but some units still need fixes for the cool air to reach the unit.

Of the more than 300 units, management said they received about 20 calls of complaints about lack of air conditioning.

Additionally, they said the townhomes on the property suffered several pipe failures, but they expect them to be fixed by the end of the week.

Tim Carroll, a spokesperson for the city of Trenton, released this statement to Action News:

"The city is in contact with building management and board, and have offered our assistance. We've been assured that this situation is being addressed by the property owner."