Tim Pearson, a top adviser to Mayor Adams, precipitated a scuffle with security guards by trying to push his way into a Manhattan migrant shelter, lawyers representing one of the guards said Thursday.
Pearson, a former NYPD inspector, made the surprise visit to the migrant shelter running out of an old Touro College building on W. 31st St. near Eighth Ave. around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to police.
Adams spokesman Charles Lutvak said Wednesday that Pearson — who had a shield on his belt and was donning a fleece jacket with his “senior adviser to the mayor” title spelled out on the chest and “NYPD” on the back — was accosted by a guard at the site after being denied access as part of a standard inspection.
But Legal Aid Society spokesman Redmond Haskins, whose organization is representing the guard, disputed the official version of events.
According to Haskins, the guard, Terrence Rosenthal, 29, is responsible for checking the identifications of all individuals coming into the shelter, which is among a network of emergency facilities housing newly arrived migrants in the city.
Timothy Pearson was conducting a quality assurance spot inspection on a Touro University building turned migrant shelter on W. 31st St. near Eighth Ave. with the Mayor’s Public Safety office about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday when, despite wearing a jacket that identified him as a senior advisor for the mayor and having credentials visible, he was stopped by a security guard.
When Pearson, 63, arrived at the shelter, Rosenthal asked to see his ID, Haskins said. But Pearson refused, touching off a chaotic shoving match involving several guards, according to Haskins.
“Terrence Rosenthal, who has no prior contact with the criminal legal system, was merely doing his job as a security officer and following protocol when Tim Pearson attempted to forcefully enter the Touro respite center for new arrivals,” Haskins said. “We do not have further comment, but support the current investigation into Pearson’s action and urge District Attorney Alvin Bragg to immediately dismiss the charges pending against Mr. Rosenthal.”
Rosenthal was arraigned on charges of obstructing government administration and harassment. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Nov. 29, court records say. A female security guard supervisor who has not been identified was also arrested and given a summons after mouthing off at Pearson and his entourage, police said.
Pearson could not be reached for comment Thursday. An executive for Arrow, the company contracted to do security at the shelter, declined to comment, citing a pending investigation.
FILE – NYPD Captain Timothy Pearson of PSA 2. (NYPD)
A criminal complaint against Rosenthal filed with the Manhattan DA by a responding officer said Pearson had a shield displayed on his belt and “identified himself to [Rosenthal] as a governmental official” upon arriving at the shelter.
“[Rosenthal] pushed [Pearson] away from the shelter and out the door,” the complaint also says. “As a result of the above-described conduct, [Pearson] has experienced pain to his back.”
Rosenthal could not be reached for comment.
Neither Haskins, the NYPD or City Hall officials would elaborate on details about the violent clash at the shelter.
The news outlet The City reported that an investigative document compiled by the Emergency Management agency, which oversees the shelter, cites 12 eyewitnesses as alleging that Pearson instigated the violence by putting his hands on a female security guard after cursing at staff and threatening to have them fired. Pearson grabbed the female guard by the neck and pushed her on the floor, according to The City.
“As [she] cry out, ‘Get your hands off of me.’ He continue to assault her. He started to push everyone standing near him,” according to an eyewitness account from a security guard in the report cited by The City. In the ensuing chaos, another security guard fell and got injured, the account claims.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Timothy Pearson is pictured behind Mayor Eric Adams on Jan. 1, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
City Councilwoman Diana Ayala, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Manhattan, said that investigative authorities should immediately get their hands on surveillance footage from the migrant shelter.
“If in fact Mr. Pearson assaulted a female guard, he needs to step down immediately,” Ayala, who’s a member of the Council’s leadership team, wrote on Twitter.
Pearson’s formal title is “senior adviser to mayor for public safety and COVID recovery,” a role that nets him more than $240,000 a year on top of his $124,000 NYPD pension, according to his financial disclosure form.
In addition to his public safety and COVID recovery duties, Pearson has been assigned several tasks related to the city’s migrant crisis. Pearson regularly makes spot checks at shelters, according to multiple administration sources familiar with the matter.