Mayor Adams calls on NYers to speak up if they suspect fentanyl dealers in their building

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New Yorkers have learned an unfortunate lesson over the last few months regarding the fentanyl crisis – that drug dealers are avoiding arrest by doing business in plain sight, out in the open. 

The witnesses are often residential neighbors living in fear and forced into silence. 

Meanwhile, in the face of a budget crisis, Mayor Eric Adams is now leaning on ordinary New Yorkers to step up and add a layer of vigilance to law enforcement’s toolkit. The goal is to catch and arrest the criminals and drug dealers who are using apartments and home-based day care operations before more innocent people die. 

“Well, I think it’s so important to understand what we’re talking about. We’re talking about innocent people who may live in a building, and if someone brings fentanyl inside that building, even if they drop or touch something, a small amount, and a child comes after that and touches it, you know, children put their hands in their mouth. It could lead to severe injury, or it could lead to death as we saw in this case here,” Adams explained.

PIX11’s Jay Dow recently had a deep dive conversation with the mayor as they walked along the same block in the Bronx where a 1-year-old boy died after being exposed to fentanyl in his day care.

Tune in to the PIX11 News at 6 for Dow's full interview with the mayor.