Nicholas Dominici's father: ‘Open doors at your child’s day care’

The father of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici of Kingsbridge Heights, the toddler who died of fentanyl poisoning while in the care of a Jerome Park day care center, has six words for parents of young children: “Don’t trust your day care center.”

“My message to parents who have to send their children to day care is, ‘Don’t trust the place 100 percent,” said Otoniel Feliz Samboy said at a press conference with district attorney Darcel Clark last Friday. “Make sure you go there and open the doors. Make sure that everything is OK in that place.”

To elected officials and agencies, he says, “don’t send a prior warning before an inspection. Do surprise inspections,” he said.

Nicholas’ father made the impassioned plea to the media after Clark announced the indictments of three of the defendants in Nicholas’ murder and the three other young children who were poisoned with fentanyl.

“I understand that justice will be done,” Samboy said. “Everything is possible. But It will not bring my son back. Nothing will bring him back.”

Clark announced that the operator of a day care, her husband and his cousin have been indicted for murder under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, assault, and other charges for allegedly exposing four babies to fentanyl stored in the day care.

“A beautiful little boy lost his life and three precious children aged eight months to two years became seriously ill from fentanyl poisoning. This is a catastrophe,” Clark said.

“Our sorrow is matched only by outrage because these babies were shields to protect a narcotics operation. Nicholas’ death was entirely — excruciatingly — needless and avoidable. We will get justice for him, the other children and their families.”

In an indictment handed down by a grand jury before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy, the following people were arraigned: Divino Niño day care owner Grei Mendez, 36, and her husband Felix Herrera Garcia, 34, both of 2705 Morris Ave., and Carlisto Brito, 41, of 2707 Morris Ave., were arraigned Oct. 5 on an indictment charging  second-degree murder, first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, second, third and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child.

A fourth person — Renny Antonio Parra Paredes — was already charged the weekend of Sept. 22 by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to distribute the narcotics that led to the death of Nicholas.

The defendants are remanded and are due back in court on Nov. 27.

According to the investigation, on Sept. 15, at 2:43 p.m. Divino Niño, where Brito resided in a bedroom, four children were poisoned by exposure to fentanyl, resulting in the death of Nicholas  and acute opioid intoxication requiring hospital treatment for an 8-month-old girl, her 2-year-old brother and another 2-year-old boy. Emergency medical service technicians used Narcan to reverse symptoms of the brother and sister, but Nicholas died. According to the investigation, a kilo of fentanyl was found in a closet in the day care apartment, and six kilos of fentanyl, heroin and other controlled substances were found under a trap door in the floor, under a padded mat where children napped. Kilo presses and other drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Karl Miller.

A sobbing Otoniel Feliz Samboy who was holding up a photo of his dead son as he pleaded for something to be done about the state of day care centers in New York City.

“It was only five days in which our son was at that place,” he said. “In four years, I wanted to see his graduation photo. Sadly, this (photo) is all I have now is a reminder of his death. And that has to change.”