The situation at a Bronx juvenile detention center reached a boiling point when a major riot erupted, injuring over a dozen staff members and youths and highlighting persistent issues within New York City’s youth facilities, according to The Post.
During the June 21 incident at the overcrowded Horizons Juvenile Center, the NYPD was twice denied entry by the facility’s staff, sources and union officials reported. This refusal allowed the violence to escalate unchecked for hours, leaving both employees and residents injured.
This outbreak of violence follows years of warnings from critics that lenient state laws have turned the city’s youth detention centers into volatile environments.
According to one source, “The melee started at 4:49 p.m. when one unit was being escorted back to their unit from the courtyard. Three other units — one was already opened without clearance — heard them in the hallway. Staff were assaulted and keys taken, and residents of these units ran out and started attacking each other and also staff members.”
“One staff member was pushed up against a glass area with a knife held to her face,” the source added. “Another on the floor had an asthma attack with residents taunting her that she’s going to die.”
The NYPD was called to the scene at 5:25 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m., but each time the staff at the city Administration for Children’s Services barred their entry, allowing the violence to persist, union officials confirmed.
According to Darek Robinson, vice president of grievance and legal services for Local 371 of the Social Service Employees Union, “The injuries sustained by staff included dislocated shoulders, head trauma, neck injuries, back injuries, knee injuries and deep lacerations requiring stitches.”
Robinson noted that the incident was not unforeseen. “For several weeks leading up to the riot, there were multiple assaults on supervisors and staff involving attempts by residents to seize facility keys,” he said.
Robinson reported that 187 youths were packed into the 125-bed facility at the time.
The city is grappling with managing increasingly violent older residents at two overcrowded and understaffed juvenile detention centers — Horizons and Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn — following a controversial change in state law.
In 2024, The Post reported that the “Raise the Age” law, seen as lenient on crime, was allowing suspects up to age 21 to be housed with younger alleged offenders, creating a volatile mix.
The law, rolled out in 2017 and 2018, raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and allowed older youths to stay in juvenile facilities until age 21.
A 2024 city Department of Investigation report highlighted that the resident population at the two facilities surged from 52 in April 2018 to 237 in May 2023.
A representative for the Administration for Children’s Services stated that seven residents and eight staffers required hospital treatment following the conflict.
“The situation at Horizon Juvenile Center was resolved and the facility is secured,” the spokesperson said. “The safety and security of young people and staff in our secure detention facilities is our top priority.”
“We greatly appreciate the efforts made by our dedicated staff, including those who helped de-escalate the situation,” they added.
The representative stated that the agency has increased staffing and security, enhanced efforts to prevent contraband, and is holding residents more accountable for misconduct.
Nevertheless, allegations of mismanagement and even corruption continue to plague the facilities.
A confidential whistleblower report reviewed by The Post claims staffers allow some contraband to enter the centers and alleges sexual abuse and favoritism occur behind the walls.
The report also claims workers who report misconduct face retaliation.
Furthermore, Horizon staffers reportedly purchased 100 water pistols for residents, a controversial decision given the gun-related charges faced by many detainees.
The Social Service Employees Union is demanding a thorough and independent investigation into the June 21 riot, a review of security protocols, accountability for criminal actions during the unrest, and urgent measures to address overcrowding and staff safety, Robinson said.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
