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The packages keep coming to 18 Whitewood Drive in Rocky Point — but the only ones there to receive them Tuesday afternoon were the resident rats.
Delivery boxes from Chewy, Amazon Prime and Walmart — and even a full, unopened 12-pack of Michelob Ultra — sat stacked on the front porch of the temporarily condemned home as several large white rats rummaged freely among them, at times trying to claw their way into plastic bags containing vermin food.
The plump albino rats appeared unbothered by passersby, remaining visibly active on the porch when Greater Long Island visited the property. It seemed they were posing for the camera.
The scene is part of a disturbing case involving Lori Curley, 48, who faces animal cruelty and child endangerment charges after authorities say her home was overrun with hundreds of rats and animal waste.
Unfit for habitation
According to court documents reviewed by News 12, approximately 200 white rats — described as “both alive and dead” — were found inside the Whitewood Drive residence. The records describe a “strong stench of urine, feces and decay throughout the house with poorly circulated air.”
Officials have deemed the home unfit for habitation and temporarily condemned the property. It’s believed that the rats are the offspring of a smaller number of pet rats originally cared for by Curley.
They’re not shy
Court documents examined by the news station further allege that Curley’s 3-year-old grandson lived in the home for several weeks under what investigators described as “unsanitary conditions.”
In December, police body camera footage allegedly captured the child wearing only a diaper while sitting and walking throughout the residence. The documents state that the floors were covered in rat feces and urine, and rats were observed freely moving throughout the home.
Curley has pleaded not guilty to multiple misdemeanor charges, including one count of torture or injure/not feed animal and two counts of neglect of an impounded animal. She is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
She is due back in court on Jan. 23.
It remains unclear how many rats, if any, are still inside or around the condemned home. The case remains under investigation.
Top: The front porch of 18 Whitewood Drive in Rocky Point (Brian Harmon photos).
