So this is just one of the joys of living in NYC. I'm not sure about the background of the person down the hall that this stove came from but I would guess they are living in a rent controlled environment.
There are some urban legends of people living in Manhattan for as little as $300 a month. Then there are these people.. I didn't get to take pictures of the fridge before it was moved out but it looked it it was never cleaned in 30 years.
Nasty huh? Ya it's pretty nasty