2 Minors, 1 Adult Arrested After Ghost Guns Found at New York City Daycare

Karon Jamal Coley, 18, was arrested on Tuesday after police say he printed firearms in his home — which is also a daycare center

Several arrests were made in New York City on Tuesday following the recovery of privately made firearms inside a daycare facility in Manhattan.

Three people, including two minors, were arrested after the discovery and “recovery of multiple 3D printed firearms,” Rebecca Weiner, Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department’s intelligence and counterterrorism bureau, said during a press conference on Wednesday.

The arrests came from a previously ongoing investigation that began with “a group of individuals, including some minors, who were purchasing ghost gun parts from online retailers, as well as materials and filaments required to print 3D firearm components,” Weiner said.

That investigation led NYPD to execute two search warrants on Tuesday, and ultimately led them to 18-year-old Karon Jamal Coley, whose mother owns and operates a “licensed daycare” center out of their home in the city’s 25th precinct.

According to Christina Chang, Executive Deputy Commissioner and Chief Program Officer with the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, the daycare was last inspected in February. A few violations were found regarding feeding schedules and some parental preferences, but all the issues were addressed.

“Inside this daycare facility, investigators recovered a 3D printer, 3D printing tools and plastic filament, two completed 3D printed firearms, one 3D printed assault pistol in the final stages of assembly and one additional 3D printed lower receiver,” Weiner said. She added, “Mr. Coley was arrested.”

Related: 2 Charged After Death of 1-Year-Old in N.Y.C. Daycare Incident Involving ‘Opioid Exposure’

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said during the press conference that Coley was arraigned Wednesday on charges including possession of illegal firearms, manufacturing of an assault weapon and reckless endangerment.

Weiner called Tuesday’s arrests “part of a larger trend into what’s become a global problem, namely the manufacture and sale of privately made firearms, or PMFs, which include ghost guns and 3D printed firearms.”

She added, “When made well, ghost guns and 3D printed firearms operate just like commercial firearms. In the hands of teenagers, they can inflict just as much violence.”

It’s a growing problem in the city as the number of PMFs has continued to grow year-over-year since 2021.

Related: Trapdoor with Narcotics Found at New York City Daycare Where Boy, 1, Died from Fentanyl Exposure

During the press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed his frustration at the growing issue. “Who would have thought that we must add to our list of inspections, ‘Do we have 3D printers that can print guns?’”

Making a comparison to the news earlier this month that several children were exposed to fentanyl — and a one-year-old boy died as a result — at a daycare in the Bronx, Mayor Adams said, “Now we’re finding in addition to fentanyl that in a similar setting, we saw the presence of ghost guns and devices that appear to make those guns.”

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In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban expressed his gratitude to the groups working to reduce the threat of PMFs in the city.

“The emergence of polymer guns or “ghost guns” triggered the creation of a specialized task force that has been effective in ridding the illegal firearms from our streets," he posted. "Those same Intelligence Division investigators are now at the forefront of a new threat — the 3-D gun. My thanks to them all for taking this newest type in illegal gun off of our streets.”

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