Wild Day at HS of Fashion Industries: Smoke Report in AM, Fight in PM, One Arrest
One student was said to have been hit in the head with a scooter during an afternoon scuffle on Dec. 19th. Police said a 17 year old was arrested and charged with assault. Earlier firefighters responded to the report of a smoke situation on the fifth floor but found no fire.
| 20 Dec 2023 | 03:40
An ambulance, plus a huge turnout of NYPD officers and the FDNY responded to two separate incidents at the High School of Fashion Industries on W. 24th St. on Dec. 19. Police said one 17 year was arrested. Photo: Keith J. Kelly
Firefigthers were called to the High School of Fashion Industries on the morning of Dec. 19. Photo: Keith J. Kelly
The High School of Fashion Industries has occupied the ten story building on W. 24th St. since 1940. The murals above the front entrance as well as those that grace the auditorium were created by Ernest Fiene and are landmarked. Photo: Keith J. Kelly
In a wild day at the well regarded High School for Fashion Industries in Chelsea, one 17 year-old is under arrest after injuring another student in brawl, police said. The injured victim was hit in the head with a scooter, sources at the scene told Chelsea News.
Earlier that day the school’s 1,700 students were in the midst of a fire drill when there was a report of an odor and smoke situation on the fifth floor. The FDNY dispatched two engines and two hook & ladder vehicles to the scene, but did not find any fire condition.
After investigating, students were allowed to return to the school.
The bizarre day was an anomaly for the vocational school which trains students in the design, fashion and photography trades and boasts a 90 percent graduation rate.
Hours after the smoke/odor incident, reports of a student fight brought several cops cars from the 10th Pct and at least a dozen officers to the scene
One student was seen leaving the school with a bandage on his head while police searched for the assailant, who was reportedly found not far from the scene later that afternoon.
The cause of the dispute was not revealed and police said it did not appear to be a gang related incident.
The school, which is considered one of the top vocational schools in the public school system, traces its root to 1926 when it was known as the Central Needle Trades High School and based in a garment center loft on West 26th St.
The four year high school is ranked number 126 out of the 571 public high schools in New York City. Its current 10 story Art Deco building opened in the 1940 school year and changed its name to the High School of Fashion Industries in 1956, to reflect its growing role as a vocational institute for the fashion world. It received Landmark status for murals in the auditorium and above the front entrance painted by Ernest Fiene, which depicts among moments, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. One of its most distinguished alumni is Kerby Jean Raymond, a recent global creative director of the Reebook sports brand who launched the Pyer Moss fashion line.
One of the highlights of the school year for the school is the senior fashion show. Writing about the 2023 sho--that for the first time in its history was held outdoors in the trendy Meatpacking District in April--the New York Times wrote: “Most schools rev up for the big game. At the High School of Fashion Industries, it’s the spring fashion show. And this year’s was bigger and sassier than ever.”