'It really couldn't have happened at a worse time.' Eastchester apartment complex without AC in extreme heat

The Garth Essex apartment complex in Eastchester has been without air conditioning since Friday.

Julia Rosier

Jun 23, 2025, 9:58 PM

Updated 32 min ago

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The Garth Essex apartment complex in Eastchester has been without air conditioning since Friday.
"It's sweltering up there. It's hard to breathe," says Maddie, a resident. "It really couldn't have happened at a worse time," says resident Michael Maisch. "I'll be very uncomfortable for a couple of days. I have some friends with pools that I'll jump in and stuff like that."
The property's management company, Prime Locations, Inc., says one of its chillers failed.
It's affected about 214 co-op apartments.
"Our HVAC contractor Tecogen is onsite and we are doing everything possible to get A/C service restored to our shareholders," says David Amster, president of Prime Locations Inc., in a statement. "We have been advised that it may take several days as these are very large units requiring specialized parts. We have looked into bringing in portable chillers in the event that repairs cannot be made in a timely manner however, this option would require 3-4 days to bring in, set up and get running and repairs to the building units should be completed by then."
Some residents say they're now staying with family and friends. "I'm thinking of staying here until it's rectified," says resident Robert Cassara.
Others say they have no choice but to push through it. "Me and my husband work full time, so we don't have a second location to live at so unfortunately, we're one of the shareholders that has to endure this," says Maddie.
The complex does have a board room open that has a separate AC system from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., where residents can go to cool off.