One of Mayor Eric Adams’ prominent aides was “accosted” by a security guard at a Manhattan migrant assistance center while trying to enter the facility for a standard inspection on Tuesday, according to City Hall and law enforcement sources.
A heated argument first erupted around 5:30 p.m. after mayoral staffer Tim Pearson attempted to walk into the former Touro College building in Midtown, which now operates as a migrant respite center, when he was stopped by security guards who asked that he identify himself, the sources said.
Pearson gave his name and the guards then asked for his identification, which sparked an exchange of words that escalated and became physical, according to the sources.
Without naming Pearson, City Hall confirmed the incident and said it occurred during an “unannounced quality assurance inspection” of the migrant emergency site.
“As part of a standard inspection today, a member of our team was denied access to a city contractor-operated site and then accosted by a contractor operating on site,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said in a statement to The Post.
At the time of the ordeal, Pearson was wearing a fleece jacket that identified himself as an “aide to the mayor,” sources said.
Those involved in the dust-up, along with the head of the security company, Arrow, went to the Midtown South precinct after the altercation.
One guard was slapped with a summons for disorderly conduct, sources said.
A second guard is likely to be arrested and charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, according to sources.