A multi-agency raid on an e-bike and e-scooter shop in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens revealed an illegal lithium-ion battery manufacturing operation, according to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh.

On Tuesday, the FDNY and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection inspected the business known as Wilson’s E-Scooter Shop.

“We have stressed time and time again that unregulated, tampered with and non-certified batteries are extremely dangerous and deadly,” Kavanaugh said. “They kill people, they have killed people, and they will continue to kill people if businesses continue to operate in this manner.”

The fire commissioner said they found 60 battery packs from individual lithium-ion battery cells that were being manufactured in the business in violation of fire codes. Officials call them “Frankenstein batteries,” because they power e-bikes and scooters, but are not certified by accredited testing laboratories.

Fire officials said some of the cells began to fail during removal and had to be extinguished. Included in the numerous violations the business has been hit with is obstruction of government for attempting to hide batteries.

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said it has conducted hundreds of similar raids since the law mandating lithium-ion battery certification took effect last year.

“Since we began enforcing the Lithium-ion certification law back in September of last year, we have conducted over 500 inspections and issued nearly 200 violations to businesses for violating the law,” Said DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga.

The manager of the business denied that illegal lithium-ion batteries were being manufactured at the shop. He also said FDNY officials came to inspect his store months ago and did not tell him the batteries being manufactured and sold were illegal.

When asked whether he knew it was illegal to sell the batteries, manager Wilson Chen said no.

“No, nobody teach me,” said Chen. “Many times before, one year ago, six months ago, the fire department and police come and check here. They check. They check everything. Nobody teach me.”

We spoke to a customer who bought a scooter from the store not long ago and he had no idea that it could be harmful.

Fire officials insist that is one of the big problems and why Kavanaugh continues pushing for legislative action to establish national safety standards for lithium ion batteries.

“What I would say, though, is that time is of the essence, every day that goes by before we have that ban, these are coming in to people homes,” Kavanagh said. “They are already in people’s homes.”

According to the FDNY, lithium-ion batteries caused 268 fires in 2023 and were responsible for 150 injuries and 18 deaths. That’s triple the number of fatalities from fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries in 2022 and more than 4 times the number of deaths in 2021.

The Bureau of Fire Prevention also included summons for repairing and working on batteries, fire extinguishers that were not tagged, electrical hazards, storing gasoline and diesel fuel.

The Department of Buildings issued a violation for illegal conversion of taxpayer and illegal occupancy of bedroom in the city room while the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection issued a violation for selling non-certified batteries of battery and scooters.