UNINCORP. BENSENVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — People living in a neighborhood in unincorporated Bensenville say a rat infestation is a threat to their health and safety.

Those in the White Pines neighborhood say they know the source of the problem, but they feel like elected officials are not doing enough to help them.

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Multiple homeowners say the issue goes back at least two years. They believe one particular property is ground zero and that there have been no significant measures to eliminate what they are calling a rat infestation.

“It’s just a nightmare right now,” said White Pines resident Jim Brill.

Brill says for two years, he and his neighbors have dealt with rats running around their property.

“It’s impacting every house that surrounds that house. The rats come out when we put our trash cans out. They literally swarm out of the yard, that house’s yard, go in our trash cans,” Brill said.

Another neighbor says his home security picked up the rodents after they tripped the camera’s motion sensors, sharing at least a dozen videos with ABC7 showing them scurrying around the side of his house.

And pictures show multiple rats on the windowsills on the home that neighbors believe is the root of the issue.

“We have to, you know, take huge measures to maintain our property, and we’ve done that, but when your neighbor isn’t doing that, and then creating housing for these vermin, right, that carry disease, and can, you know, be troublesome and problematic, it’s quite frustrating,” said White Pines resident Kristin Henri.

Henri says her parents have lived there for more than 50 years, never with a rat problem, until 2024. She says the rats are a hazard to their health and safety.

“We’ve had rats on our property, running through in broad daylight, so it’s unnerving. I can’t let my dog out. I worry about my neighbor’s child across the street, who’s a toddler,” Henri said.

Henri and Brill say living in an unincorporated part of Bensenville has complicated matters. At this point, they believe it is in the county’s hands, but still the problem persists.

“We contacted the county. They keep telling us they’re going to take care of the problem, and they don’t,” Brill said.

“We need somebody to help eliminate this. It’s not fair to us. We maintain our properties, and we want to live in a safe environment,” Henri said.

The DuPage County Building and Zoning Staff told ABC7 they been working on this problem since 2024.

They are working with the owner of a single property to clean the home’s interior.

Once that’s done, the county says, it will have an exterminator come in and set traps in the area.

Two future Boilermakers are taking the floor and will go head-to-head during Indiana All-Star Week. 2026 signee Luke Ertel and 2027 commit Isaiah Hill are battling it out on Wednesday, June 3, as the Indiana All-Stars will play the Indiana Junior All-Stars.

Wednesday will be the third time Ertel and Hill have played against each other this season. During the IHSAA basketball season, Ertel’s Mt. Vernon team took on Hill’s Pike squad twice.

Hill led the Red Devils to an 84-81 overtime victory during the regular season. In the Regional of the Class 4A IHSAA Basketball Tournament, Ertel guided Mt. Vernon to a 57-54 overtime victory. The Marauders went on to win the state championship.

Who will win the third and decisive battle between the future Boilermakers on Wednesday? Here’s the information necessary to watch the game.

How to watch the Indiana All-Star Game

• What — Indiana Junior All-Stars vs. Indiana All-Stars
• When — Wednesday, June 3, 2026
• Where — Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind.
• Tipoff time — 8 p.m. ET (approx.)
• Ticket price — $15
• Stream — ISC Indiana Sports Network YouTube Channel

Hill participated in Indiana-Kentucky Jr. All-Star Game

Wednesday night’s Junior-Senior All-Star Game will be the second time Hill has competed during Indiana All-Star Week. The Pike star and five-star center also played in Sunday’s Indiana-Kentucky Junior All-Star Game.

Hill put together a solid performance, scoring 15 points, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and recording three blocks. His efforts helped lead Indiana to a 109-99 victory over Kentucky.

Ertel and the Indiana All-Stars have not yet played during Indiana All-Star Week, with their first game scheduled for Wednesday against the Junior All-Stars. Then, to close out the week, Ertel will participate in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series, with games being played in Lexington and Indianapolis.

Ertel, Hill highly rated recruits in respective classes

There’s already plenty of hype surrounding Ertel and Hill, both players who are highly-ranked recruits in their respective classes.

Ertel is the top-ranked player from Indiana in the 2026 recruiting class and is considered a top-50 prospect by 247Sports. He was named Indiana Mr. Basketball, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in his senior season at Mt. Vernon.

Hill is a year younger, but became the highest-ranked recruit ever to commit to play at Purdue. The 2027 product was a star at Pike High School during his junior season, averaging 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. He is a five-star prospect and ranked as the No. 10 player in the class, per ESPN.

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