Residents and lawmakers near Bronx ‘open-air drug market’ demand it be shut down: ‘Hell on Earth’

New York City residents are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to address what they call an “open-air drug market” that has taken over a street in the Bronx.

A stretch of Melrose Avenue, near the 149th Street subway station, has become a haven for people who openly use drugs and exchange money during the day.

FOX 5 New York, which investigated the area, also documented a man throwing up a projectile and then passing out in the street.

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“It’s hell on earth,” one neighbor told FOX 5 New York.

Residents accuse City Hall of ignoring blatant criminal activity and allowing drug use to continue.

A business owner named Hassan, who has run a clothing store on Melrose Avenue for 20 years, told FOX 5 New York he now employs someone to clean up urine and feces in front of the store every day.

According to a business owner, many of the suspected users hang around the area and spread their urine and feces in front of the shops in the area. (WNYW)

The situation on Melrose Avenue has deteriorated to the point that Hassan says he’s lost a lot of customers. “People don’t really want to come here and see people’s (feces) and pee,” Hassan told FOX 5 New York. “They’d rather go to another store.”

Congressman Ritchie Torres, who represents the Bronx, has written a letter to Mayor Eric Adams pleading for swift action. In the letter, Torres demanded that Adams shut down the open-air drug market on Melrose Avenue.

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In an email to Fox News Digital, a City Hall spokesperson said, “Our administration is fully focused on keeping New Yorkers safe, and we can balance livability with safety and connection to services. These goals are achieved through both proactive policies to ensure everyone has access to quality support, treatment, and recovery services, and reactive policies like increased police patrols in the community.”

“We recognize the concerns Congressman Torres raised in his letter and look forward to working with him to create a safer and more livable city for all New Yorkers,” the statement concluded.

According to residents, the grim scene can be seen on Melrose Avenue in the Bronx: drugs are being used in broad daylight and large amounts of money are being traded. (WNYW)

Congressman Torres told FOX 5 that while he appreciates City Hall’s stance on this issue, the responsibility for keeping the streets safe rests squarely with Mayor Eric Adams.

“At the end of the day, the mayor runs the city, right? He controls the police. He controls the Department of Health. And he should be deploying both police officers and health officials to dismantle the open-air drug market,” Torres told FOX 5 New York.

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The NYPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.