Three families are suing staff members at a Bronx group home, claiming they abused residents.
The federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges workers at the Union Avenue IRA in Mott Haven punched, kicked and spat on residents who are developmentally disabled.
It also says staff members denied residents food and botched their medical care.
The lawsuit says some workers referred to the home as the "Bronx Zoo" and intimidated staff who attempted to report the incidents.
The plaintiffs say state officials were aware of the abuse but did nothing for weeks. They claim evidence of the abuse goes back a decade.
The defendants include six staff members, some unnamed workers, eight supervisors and officials at the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
A spokesperson from the office issued a statement saying it referred the case to the Justice Center, which then investigated the group home.
The agency says it also put the accused workers on administrative leave and is putting a program review in place to ensure oversight and retrain staff.