Bronx day care tragedy under investigation

NEW YORK -- A 1-year-old boy died and three other children were rushed to a local hospital after an incident at a Bronx day care Friday.

We're told day care workers put the children down for a nap Friday afternoon, and then some of them would not wake up.

Investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but police sources tell us first responders administered Narcan to the babies and it worked for at least one of them.

Divino Niño Daycare became a crime scene Friday. A worker called EMS to the child care center on Morris Avenue just before 3 p.m. saying several babies were unresponsive.

"The door was open. The kids were just there laying down," witness Mel Ramirez said.

Ramirez lives in the building and came out when she heard the worker screaming for help.

"And she started saying that the kids were dying, and then I saw one of the kids laying down and he wasn't responding, and then the lady came out with the other child trying to make him respond, but he wasn't responding," Ramirez said.

Four children were rushed to the hospital, some in cardiac arrest.

A 1-year-old boy died. Two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl are still being treated.

"It was very horrifying. I wish I never saw it," Ramirez said.

The FDNY tested for carbon monoxide and ruled it out.

Sources tell us investigators tested the baby formula for fentanyl, but it came back negative.

"Brand new floors, state of the art, you know, beautiful place, nice people," neighbor Anna Ortiz-Irving said.

The day care just opened this year.

CBS New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas found it was inspected as recently as last week, and the Office of Children and Family Services found no violations at the time. 

"Everything was spotless," Ortiz-Irving said.

Police are questioning an employee of the day care.

At least one baby is still in critical condition; the other two are stable.

Sources tell us the scene Friday was so devastating that first responders who were there are being offered counseling.

Update 9/16/23 - Police investigating if children were exposed to fentanyl in deadly Bronx day care incident

In:
• The Bronx

Ali Bauman

Ali Bauman joined CBS2 News as a general assignment reporter in 2016. Ali is a proud millennial who embraces social media for storytelling to bring news to a new generation of viewers.

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