By: Jordan Baker

A Bronx librarian says she was driven out of her dream job after facing constant threats, naked disturbances, and total disregard from her supervisors, the NY Post reported.

Kelly Coffey, 46, claimed her horror story began shortly after she started working as a senior librarian in the young-adult section at the Parkchester branch of the New York Public Library in November 2022, the NY Post reported.

One particularly terrifying incident involved an agitated man storming in, frantically searching for his phone, Coffey said in a lawsuit cited by the NY Post. She feared the worst when he began shouting with his hands in his pockets — she thought he might have a gun. “I was hiding behind a column,” Coffey recalled, according to the NY Post. “If he did have a gun, he would have been pointing it at seven teenagers.”

The situation escalated when the man stripped naked inside the library, the NY Post reported. A security guard, who Coffey claims was distracted on his phone, ran away along with other staff members. Coffey herself rushed to block the stairwell leading to the children’s area.

Despite the harrowing experience, Coffey told the NY Post that her coworkers treated the event like business as usual — a moment she says made her realize how unsafe the library truly was.

Things continued to spiral. In July 2023, a man entered the Parkchester branch wearing only underwear and exposed himself to Coffey and two teenagers, the NY Post reported.

Coffey said she repeatedly raised alarms with supervisors about her safety concerns, but instead of offering support, they accused her of being “too emotional” and “dramatic,” the NY Post reported. “I was told I’m ‘emotionally fragile,’” Coffey said.

The constant chaos turned her “dream job into a nightmare,” Coffey alleged in her legal filing, the NY Post reported. Even warnings of potential fatal outcomes didn’t seem to rattle her supervisors. During a December 2023 meeting, one allegedly told staff, “If you are severely hurt at work, or even God forbid … it be fatal, your job will be posted by the end of the week,” the NY Post reported.

Seeking a fresh start, Coffey was transferred to the Eastchester branch in January 2024 — but the madness followed, the NY Post reported. At Eastchester, one man grabbed her arm and threatened to “cut off [her] f–king toes,” while another patron exposed himself to Coffey and an 8-year-old girl. There were also violent altercations, including a threat to kill another patron with a machete and a disturbed man brandishing a needle at staff, the NY Post reported.

NYPD statistics cited by the NY Post show 68 emergency calls were made from the Parkchester Library over four years, with 80 from Eastchester. Crime in the surrounding precincts surged 10% to 39% during Coffey’s tenure.

Ultimately, Coffey said she was forced to resign in October 2024 because of “constant harassment” by patrons and retaliation from supervisors, the NY Post reported. Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

“All they did was make her more scared by threatening her job,” Coffey’s attorney, Paul Bartels, told the NY Post. “They couldn’t have handled the situation any worse.”

In a statement to the NY Post, a New York Public Library spokesperson said, “We take employee accommodations and safety concerns with utmost seriousness. We are dedicated to treating our staff across the Library with fairness and respect and ensuring the physical safety of all staff and patrons.”