(NewsNation) — Police have now arrested the owner of the Bronx daycare where a 1-year-old baby boy died earlier this week. The owner’s cousin was arrested as well.
Tragedy struck the daycare on Friday when a 1-year-old baby boy died. Three other young children were taken to a hospital, where Narcan, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, was used to revive them.
A neighbor who lives close to the daycare described the chaos that ensued when a woman ran out of the building screaming.
“’My kids are dead. The kids are dead,’” Mel Ramirez, the neighbor, told the local press. “Another lady came out holding a baby. The baby was unresponsive. I just feel so sad for the kids.”
Police later announced that they had located a “kilo press” in the facility; the device is used to package large quantities of drugs.
Authorities suspect that opioid exposure may have been responsible for the harm to the children.
Yet Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said that the daycare had been subject to regular inspections. During the last inspection on September 9th, which was conducted as a surprise visit, there were no health violations found.
Mayor Eric Adams said he spoke to the parents who lost their son.
“This crisis is real,” he said, “and it is a real ‘wake-up’ call for individuals who have opioids or fentanyl in their homes.”