Pint-sized peddlers as young as 11 are among the dozens of illegal vendors hawking goods on the Brooklyn Bridge \u2014 bumping even licensed military vets. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are everywhere,\u201d one stunned tourist told The Post.<\/p>\n
At least three dozen unlicensed vendors<\/a> clogged the Big Apple span Monday to sell fruit, snacks, water, toys and other assorted goods \u2014 with many lugging their tiny children along or leaving their youngsters on their own to target passersby and tourists in the underground market.<\/p>\n Illegal vendors sell merchandise along the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway \u2014 including children. Paul Martinka for NY Post<\/p>\n One boy, 11-year-old Sergio, said he makes anywhere from $100 to $300 every day, typically putting in eight hours four days a week, with his mom selling hats nearby. <\/p>\n He said he emigrated from Ecuador with his family in 2021.<\/p>\n Another boy, who said he\u2019s 12 years old, was selling fruit for $5 a pop. Asked where his mom was, he claimed she went to the bathroom \u2014 but the boy remained alone. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit awkward,\u201d Jennifer Thompson, a 53-year-old tourist from Virginia who bought two canvas bags for $10. \u201cI kinda wish it was an adult, but I don\u2019t know their circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n An 11-year-old boy was left alone to peddle goods to tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge. Paul Martinka for NY Post<\/p>\n Dozens of illegal vendors sell merchandise along the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway, with their kids. Paul Martinka for NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cI was wondering where their parents are at,\u201d her husband, Larry Thompson, 52, chimed in.<\/p>\n The illicit vendors \u2014 many of them immigrants \u2014 have been a nuisance on the historic bridge<\/a> for years. By 2023, the span was jammed with so many peddlers that one frustrated local described it as a \u201cdisgusting, mile-long souvenir shop and flea market.\u201d <\/p>\n