Fort Greene Park littered with ‘trash cans’ potentially laced with fentanyl: officials

FORT GREENE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A Brooklyn park in one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world has been littered with apparent “fentanyl trash cans,” park officials said.

The small multi-colored containers were spotted at the playgrounds, on the central lawn, and on the Willoughby entrance ramp at Fort Greene Park, according to a social media post warning parkgoers.

“We want all park users to know that we’ve had several reports of potential fentanyl trash cans located in and around the park,” the Instagram post said.

Park management advised parkgoers not to pick up or touch the debris. Instead, they asked residents to text a picture and the location of the items to the Fort Greene Park Director at 347-865-5423.

A Community Wellness Team with the Parks Department tested 25 of the containers and they did not test positive for fentanyl.

“We take the health of our patrons and our staff seriously, and we perform regular maintenance at all of our properties across the five boroughs. On-site testing at Fort Greene Park has not detected any traces of fentanyl in the containers,” a parks spokesperson told PIX11. “We appreciate New Yorkers’ vigilance, especially amid a national overdose epidemic. However, we urge all New Yorkers to remain calm and leave conclusions about substance exposure to the experts.”

Last week, a Brooklyn couple photographed the same “trash cans” at other playgrounds in Bedford-Stuyvesant, forcing parents and day care workers to organize a community cleanup at Classon and Crispus Attucks playgrounds.

Fort Greene was recently named one of the 40 coolest neighborhoods in the world, according to Time Out magazine. The Brooklyn community landed at the No. 15 spot on the list.