NEW YORK – New York City Police say one child is dead and three others are hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl at a New York City daycare. Police say a 911 call came in for three unconscious children at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center Friday afternoon.
“All three children were unresponsive and demonstrating symptoms of opioid exposure. Narcan was administered to all three of these children in an attempt to save their lives. Two children survived. Unfortunately, one male passed away,” said Police Chief Joseph Kenny during a press conference.
Multiple news sources report that 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici was the child who died. A 2-year-old boy is in critical condition, and an 8-month old girl is in stable condition.
A fourth child, a 2-year-old boy, was also hospitalized after his mom noticed that he was lethargic and took him to the hospital. At the hospital, staff administered Narcan, and saved the boy’s life.
“This crisis is real, and it is a real wake-up call for individuals who have opioids or fentanyl in their homes. The mere contact is deadly for an adult and it’s extremely deadly for a child,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
After executing a search warrant, officers found nearly a kilo of fentanyl inside the daycare, as well as a kilo press.
“This is an item that is commonly used by drug dealers when packaging large quantities of drugs,” said Kenny.
According to several news sources, the daycare owner and his neighbor are charged with murder. In addition to the murder charges, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, and Grei Mendez, 36, also face multiple counts of manslaughter, assault, criminal possession of a controlled substance and narcotic drug and endangering the welfare of a child.
The daycare center was licensed by the state and last inspected by officials with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Sept. 9.
As Emily’s Hope previously reported, child deaths involving fentanyl are skyrocketing. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that fentanyl was involved in 94% of the deadly pediatric opioid poisonings recorded in 2021, compared to 5% in 1999. More than 5,000 kids have died from overdoses involving fentanyl over the past two decades.