Current:Home > Contact-usNYC Mayor calls for ‘national assault’ on fentanyl epidemic following death of child-VaTradeCoin
NYC Mayor calls for ‘national assault’ on fentanyl epidemic following death of child
View Date:2025-01-09 23:42:21
An emotional New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday denounced the suspects accused of the alleged opioid exposure in a Bronx day care last week, which left one toddler dead and sent three others to the hospital, and called for a "national assault" on the epidemic.
Day care operator Grei Mendez and tenant Carlisto Acevedo Brito were arrested on charges including murder, manslaughter and assault and ordered to be held without bail following the "reckless, depraved" death of Nicholas Dominici, 1, last week prosecutors said.
The three other victims were hospitalized, treated with Narcan, and recovering following the Friday incident, police said.
City health inspectors conducted a surprise inspection of the facility on Sept. 6 and did not find any violations, according to City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan.
"I'm very sorry, but one of the things that my child care inspectors are not trained to do is look for fentanyl. But maybe they need to," Vasan said at a news conference Monday evening.
MORE: 2 charged with murder following death of 1-year-old at day care
Adams defended the health department during the news conference, saying they did everything they were supposed to do related to inspecting the day care, but emphasized the fentanyl crisis is growing in the city and encroaching on all walks of life.
"What are we doing? What are we doing as a society to our children?" he said. "This is total madness that we lost a child to this dangerous substance."
The mayor held up a graphic showing a small quantity of fentanyl next to a penny for scale and noted that the very tiny amount can kill an adult.
"Imagine what it can do to a child," he said.
Adams warned that the drugs that are coming into the city are not like "the drugs of yesteryear" and cannot be left lying around people's homes.
"There needs to be a full national assault on this drug entering our city," he said.
The mayor said the suspects had broken a trust people have with childcare workers.
"Part of this relationship is based on trust that those who are taking care of our children are going to do it in a safe manner. They broke that trust as others have," he said.
At their Sunday night arraignments, the judge determined Mendez and Brito were both flight risks.
The judge cited Mendez’s lack of citizenship, ties to the Dominican Republic and the seriousness of the charges leveled against her, which carry a potential life in prison sentence.
Mendez’s attorney said she was unaware drugs were being stored in her day care by Brito, her husband's cousin, to whom she was renting a room for $200 a week.
"Her only crime was renting her room to someone who had a kilo," attorney Andres Aranda said. "There is no evidence that she did anything but care properly for these children."
The judge said Brito is a Dominican Republic national who is in the country illegally and is also a flight risk.
Prosecutors said the kilo of fentanyl was found in a hallway closet outside Brito's room, near where the kids usually sleep and that Mendez participated in the "reckless, depraved act" by renting him the room in the day care. Drug production equipment was also found inside the day care, police said.
Police believe the children inhaled fentanyl particles during daylong exposure to the drug on Friday.
MORE: 9 juvenile inmates captured after escape from Pennsylvania detention center, police say
Authorities are also seeking Mendez’s husband for questioning.
Detectives have learned that Mendez talked to her husband several times in the immediate aftermath of Friday afternoon's tragedy.
Authorities say they have also recovered video of Mendez's husband and other people fleeing the day care with bags during the initial confusion.
The day care, for children between 6 weeks and 12 years old, opened in January, officials said.
veryGood! (83824)
Related
- Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
- Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- How many dog breeds are there? A guide to groups recognized in the US
- Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
- Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
- Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- 'Unfortunate error': 'Wicked' dolls with porn site on packaging pulled from Target, Amazon
Ranking
- American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
- NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
- Tennis Channel suspends reporter after comments on Barbora Krejcikova's appearance
- Kevin Costner Shares His Honest Reaction to John Dutton's Controversial Fate on Yellowstone
- Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
- Klay Thompson returns to Golden State in NBA Cup game. How to watch
- Karol G addresses backlash to '+57' lyric: 'I still have a lot to learn'
Recommendation
-
Queen Bey and Yale: The Ivy League university is set to offer a course on Beyoncé and her legacy
-
Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
-
Real Housewives of New York City Star’s Pregnancy Reveal Is Not Who We Expected
-
Steelers' Mike Tomlin shuts down Jayden Daniels Lamar comparison: 'That's Mr. Jackson'
-
Amtrak service disrupted after fire near tracks in New York City
-
Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
-
The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
-
Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'