New video shows hectic aftermath of brawl at animal shelter involving Mayor Adams' adviser Tim Pearson

After allegedly getting into an altercation with a group of security guards at a Manhattan migrant shelter last year, Tim Pearson, a senior security adviser to Mayor Adams, was confronted by one of them outside the facility while NYPD officers arrived to defuse the situation, according to surveillance footage obtained by the Daily News.

The alleged scuffle at the now-closed migrant shelter on W. 31st St. near Eighth Ave. on Oct. 17, 2023, is still the subject of an investigation by the city's Bureau of Investigation – more than 10 months after the incident. That investigation is part of a cloud of legal and administrative problems hanging over Pearson, including four lawsuits from former and current NYPD officers accusing him of sexual misconduct and retaliation.

A DOI spokeswoman declined to comment on the status of the Pearson investigation this month, saying only that it was still “ongoing.”

The brawl at the homeless shelter resulted in the arrest of two security guards, but charges against them were dropped within days after they and other witnesses claimed that Pearson, a former New York Police Department inspector, started the fight by grabbing a female guard by the throat and shoving her to the ground when she asked to see his identification.

At the time, Adams spokesman Charles Lutvak said Pearson was denied entry and “harassed” by a security guard when he attempted to conduct a spot check of the shelter. The New York City Fire Department closed the shelter a few days later due to fire safety concerns.

Surveillance footage obtained by The News through a Freedom of Information Law request does not show the actual fight that allegedly broke out in the building when Pearson arrived for the surprise inspection.

But footage from an NYPD surveillance camera mounted on a nearby light pole shows about 25 minutes of what happened at the shelter's entrance immediately after the alleged altercation.

Pearson did not respond to a request for comment this month about the newly discovered footage. Adams spokeswoman Amaris Cockfield declined to comment on the footage, but said Friday that Pearson was “participating in a normal safety inspection” when the commotion occurred.

At the beginning of the footage, Pearson, wearing a dark blue windbreaker with “NYPD” written on the back, is seen standing outside the home, talking to a police officer and repeatedly pointing at the facility's front door. As Pearson continues to point, the officer presses his hands down, almost as if asking Pearson to calm down, according to the footage.

Seconds later, a female security guard is seen coming out of the safe house. She walks over, appears to confront Pearson, and points at him. Pearson stops and points back toward the door she went through, and two officers separate them.

The woman then tries to look Pearson in the face a second time, but is stopped by more police officers who eventually lead her back into the building, the footage shows.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the security guard was Leesha Bell. She accused Pearson of grabbing her by the neck when he first arrived at the home. This act is said to have sparked a major scuffle between Pearson and her colleagues.

Pearson is then seen talking on the phone for several minutes.

After hanging up, Pearson speaks with an NYPD supervisor for several minutes.

After their conversation ends, the supervisor and several officers enter the home and come out with Bell in handcuffs. She is then led to a waiting police car.

As the footage shows, a male security guard at the property, who was allegedly involved in the previous fight, approaches the property from a different direction a few minutes later.

When the security guard, identified as Terrence Rosenthal, appears, Pearson points at Rosenthal and says something to the officers on the scene.

This causes the officers to rush towards Rosenthal, who then backs away.

Someone is then seen falling into a flower pot before officers arrest Rosenthal and lead him into a police car. Once Rosenthal is in custody, Pearson gets into a black SUV, which then drives away, as footage shows before the end.

Rosenthal was charged with obstruction of public administration and harassment after the incident. His public defenders said at the time that he spent 30 hours in custody before being released.

A few days later, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office dropped all charges against Rosenthal and Bell.

Jason Steinberger, an attorney representing Rosenthal and Bell, filed suit in late October, notifying the city that his clients planned to sue Pearson, Adams and the NYPD, alleging they were wrongfully arrested, detained and maliciously prosecuted.

Rosenthal and Bell have not filed any further lawsuits since then, but Steinberger said his clients would continue to pursue their cases this month. He declined further comment.

The DOI's investigation into the housing dispute has since expanded to examine Pearson's role in overseeing NYPD personnel after sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him accused him of wielding unusually high levels of influence over police matters despite not being a department official. As The News first reported, three of the NYPD officers who sued Pearson were interviewed about him by the FBI earlier this year as part of an unspecified investigation.

Despite the legal difficulties, Adams did not change Pearson's duties.

“When allegations are made, people tend to say, 'You know what, the pressure is on, you just have to get rid of a person,'” Adams, who has known Pearson since they served together in the NYPD, said last month when asked why his duties have remained the same. “That's just not how I work.”

With Graham Rayman