A 1-year-old boy died and three other children were hospitalized after being exposed to opioids at a day care center in the Bronx on Friday, authorities said.
The incident was reported at around 2:40 p.m. at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center on Morris Avenue in Fordham, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a press conference early Saturday morning.
When officials arrived at the center, they administered Narcan to three children who were "unresponsive and demonstrating symptoms of opioid exposure," Kenny said. Two of the children — a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month old girl — recovered, but a 1-year-old boy was pronounced dead at Montefiore Hospital just before 3:30 p.m.
A 2-year-old boy was taken home earlier in the day at 12:15 p.m. At home, Kenny said the boy was "lethargic and unresponsive." The child was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was given Narcan and saved.
When the NYPD searched the day care center Friday, they found a kilo press, which Kenny said is an instrument "commonly used by drug dealers when packaging large quantities of drugs."
The Bronx facility was licensed by the state of New York to be a day care center, and was last inspected on Sept. 9, receiving no violations, Kenny said.
"Tonight is every parent's worst nightmare. Our children are our gift from God in this world. They are innocent and we must always protect them. As a father, I can tell you, my kids are my heart. And my heart is heavy this evening," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said at the press conference.
Caban said that he does not know exactly what happened to the four victims, but added an active criminal investigation is ongoing.
"This crisis is real, and it is a real wake-up call to individuals who have opioids or fentanyl in their homes," Mayor Eric Adams said at the press conference. "The mere contact is deadly for an adult and is extremely deadly for a child."