City Cracks Down on Fire Code Violators

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Businesses ranging from Merrill Lynch to a West Village restaurant, Employees Only, have been targeted by a new city sweep for fire code violations that resulted in 104 arrests in the last week.

The violations have included blocked exits, missing fire extinguishers, and broken sprinkler systems, among others issues. The sweep is being conducted by the Fire Department and the city’s Department of Investigation. In each instance, those arrested had failed to appear in court on a prior occasion to address earlier fire code violations, according to a statement put out by the two agencies.

Others cited include residences, gas stations, restaurants, a yeshiva, and even a Brooklyn hospital, Maimonides Medical Center, according to information provided by the Department of Investigation. Those arrested for violations at these locations ranged from building owners to employees.

“This effort is helping to keep New York safe and reminds individuals of the serious consequence of ignoring the fire code,” the commissioner for the Department of Investigation, Rose Gill Hearn, said.

For about a year, the city has been coordinating sweeps of people who have arrest warrants signed for having missed court appearances related to misdemeanor fire code violations, according to the statement. Almost half of the 221 such arrests made since the sweeps began occurred in the last week. More than $50,000 in fines have been collected.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use