Adams Aide Tim Pearson Committed Misconduct In Violent Shelter Showdown, DOI Probe Finds

By Greg B. Smith and Gwynne Hogan, The City

February 20, 2025

Timothy Pearson, a longtime close associate and senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, committed misconduct when he physically attacked two security guards at a migrant shelter who’d demanded to see his identification, the city Department of Investigation has found.

In the incident, first reported by THE CITY, Pearson shoved both a male and female guard who had requested he present ID when arriving for an October 2023 visit to a Midtown shelter. The mayor had assigned him the task of overseeing the rollout of a rapidly expanding shelter system the administration relied on to address the wave of migrants arriving in the city.

The DOI has determined following its investigation of the incident that Pearson committed misconduct because he didn’t follow proper protocol when the guard requested ID.

The report found that both Pearson and his driver lied about what happened saying Pearson had been assaulted, which prompted the responding NYPD officers to wrongfully arrest two security guards on site.

Former Eric Adams advisor Tim Pearson, far right holding phone, walks away from the Midtown Touro migrant shelter after security guards tried to refuse him entry, Oct. 17, 2023. Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY

Pearson “unjustifiably refused to show identification to security staff at the facility’s entrance and then became physically aggressive with two security staff members after they attempted to prevent him from entering the building because he refused to show identification as required,” the report states.

Pearson resigned in September after federal authorities seized his phone in a broad-ranging corruption probe that’s swept up many top Adams’ aides. At the time, Adams said his longtime friend had stepped down for personal reasons.

DOI reviewed body camera footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, concluding that Pearson first pushed a male guard aside at the Touro Facility site after refusing to present any identification, then pushed a female guard who confronted him.

After the confrontation, Pearson had both of the guards arrested “based on false reports that they accosted him as he entered the Touro facility,” DOI found. The Manhattan District Attorney declined to prosecute either of the guards.

“It should go without saying that Senior City officials, like all City employees, must follow City rules, conduct themselves professionally, and treat others with courtesy and respect,” DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said. “His conduct, as evidenced by witness statements and Body Worn Camera footage that DOI reviewed, fell far below our most basic expectations for public servants.”

Three security guards Terrance Rosenthal, Leesha Bell and Angelica Weldon have sued the city for the ordeal.

Jason Steinberger, an attorney representing the three guards, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.