Report: Goldman Sachs' NJ Office Building May Be Battling Bedbugs

(June 16) -- Employees of investment bank Goldman Sachs are used to being called "fat cats," thanks to their massive bonuses and relentlessly successful business. But now the firm may be dealing with a whole other critter problem.

Some employees at the company's 42-story skyscraper in Jersey City, N.J., just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, were ordered out of the building last month as exterminators sprayed for bedbugs, blood-sucking insects that infest homes and office spaces, ABC News reported. Other workers were removed from their floors, ABC said, citing sources at the company who declined to be identified.

The Goldman Sachs Tower dominates the Jersey City, N.J. skyline in 2008.

Mark Lennihan, AP

Reports say Goldman Sachs is battling a blood-sucking insect infestation in its Jersey City, N.J., skyscraper, pictured here, though a spokeswoman for the investment bank denies there is a problem.

Asked for comment, a Goldman Sachs spokeswoman gave a statement to AOL News saying "we are always focused on our facilities and there are no issues."

Bedbugs are a growing problem in the New York City area. The creatures bite into human flesh with two hollow prongs and feed on blood. After the insect has had its fill and scurried off, the bite will start to itch painfully and swell up.

The insects can hide in walls, clothes and even computers and go a whole year without eating, making them extremely difficult to eradicate.

Bedbug cases in New York have risen fivefold in the last 12 months, according to Barry Beck, chief operating officer of pest control company Assured Environments.

"New York absolutely leads the country" in the number of cases, Beck told AOL News. He declined to say if Goldman is one of his clients.

The bugs can thrive in an office environment, thanks to the numbers of people moving in and out and the range of hiding places in furniture and office materials.

"They hitch rides in laptop bags, briefcases, suitcases," Beck said. "People start seeing them and freak out."

Other bedbug casualties include Fox News. An outbreak at the company's headquarters in Manhattan led to a civil lawsuit between Fox and the companies that own and manage the buildings.

The Goldman Sachs building in Jersey City is mainly home to the company's operational and technology support divisions, ABC reported.