A 1-year-old boy died, and three other children went to the hospital after possibly ingesting fentanyl at a day care center, the New York Post reports.
The incident occurred Friday afternoon at Divino Nino Daycare in the Bronx, New York City.
Police sources reportedly said they found a 1-year-old boy, two 2-year-old boys, and an 8-month-old girl unresponsive in the basement.
The toddlers were napping and all ate something “about 90 minutes earlier,” the New York Post noted.
One child is dead and three others have been hospitalized after possibly consuming fentanyl at a Bronx day care center this afternoon.
Police responded to 2707 Morris Ave. in Kingsbridge around 2:40 p.m.
A 1-year-old boy was declared dead at the scene.
The children ate… pic.twitter.com/7dANqvICZU
— Crime in NYC (@CrimeInNYC) September 15, 2023
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Three children were administered Narcan, one of whom responded to the life-saving drug, cops said.
All four were rushed to area hospitals, where the 1-year-old boy was declared dead.
The three others are in stable condition, police said. The 8-month-old girl was treated for dehydration, according to sources.
Police are now investigating whether the children consumed fentanyl, or another drug, sources said.
Breaking News: A 1-year-old boy died and three other children were hospitalized after an apparent opioid exposure at a Bronx day care center, officials said. https://t.co/gWXkaAD9DJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 16, 2023
One of the day care workers reportedly screamed when she found the children unresponsive.
A witness said she screamed “The kids are dead!” multiple times.
According to ABC 7, drug production equipment was discovered inside the building.
ABC 7 reports:
A kilo press was discovered by police executing a search warrant inside the home following the death of the child, identified as Nicholas Dominici.
“This is an item that is commonly used by drug dealers when packaging large quantities of drugs,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during an overnight news conference.
It is unknown what type of drugs were potentially being manufactured or how the children came into contact with them.
“We don’t know exactly what happened to those babies,” NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban said.
Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said the victims somehow came in contact “with a powerful substance, which can, through either inhalation, ingestion, or in touching of the skin, intoxicate the recipient. We don’t know what happened in this case.”
Police said the contact occurred after the children ate and took a nap.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the 1-year-old’s cause of death, and doctors will take blood and urine samples from the surviving children to determine the specific substances.
Police said it’s unclear if the drugs came from someone who works at the daycare.
One neighbor said a mother and daughter live in the building and run the day care.
“It’s a legit day care. It’s brand new. Just a few kids, mostly babies. They’re such decent people,” neighbor Anna Ortiz Irving said.
“I watched them fix the whole place up. It was beautiful, all according to city code. If I had a baby, I would send it there,” she added.
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In an updated report, the 1-year-old’s death was blamed on fentanyl.
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