A mystery illness is keeping Mayor Eric Adams uncharacteristically off the public stage as a tough primary campaign looms and rumors swirl that he could face new criminal charges.
Few details were known about Adams’ enigmatic ailment beyond a brief statement his chief mouthpiece Fabien Levy released late Sunday that said Hizzoner “hasn’t been feeling his best” over the past few days, and will have a limited public schedule this week as he stops by the doctor’s office for a battery of “routine medical tests.”
Specifics and symptoms were unclear Monday but a source close to the mayor said he recently had trouble moving around, while another confirmed he would be undergoing undefined medical tests.
“While he will continue to communicate constantly with staff and ensure city business continues undeterred, during this time, the mayor will have a limited public schedule,” Levy said in the statement.
“Like every other New Yorker, Mayor Adams has a right to privacy when it comes to personal matters, but we will continue to communicate in the unlikely event he is unable to fully discharge his duties on any particular day.”
The Post spotted the mayor’s SUV and security detail leaving Gracie Mansion at roughly 4:15 p.m. although it wasn’t immediately clear if he was headed to a medical appointment.
Adams spent the day before then on the phone, working from home and taking it easy, City Hall officials said.
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer is ready to temporarily take charge if Adams is too sick to perform his duties as mayor of the largest city in the US.
Adams, 64, typically maintains a busy public schedule, often appearing at low-profile public events such as flag raisings that his predecessors eschewed.
During Adams’ last significant illness — a bout of COVID-19 early in 2022 when his mayoralty was still new — he canceled in-person appearances, but still appeared virtually while in isolation.
But this weekend Adams bailed on planned appearances at local churches where he has been trying to curry favor with sympathetic voters amid his uphill legal battle against federal corruption charges, sources said.
The mayor had been poised to spend this entire week at events highlighting a jobs push, sources said – a key plank in his re-election campaign against a crowded field of Democratic challengers looking to topple him from Graice Mansion.
Many political insiders said they found it surprising that Adams would cede the political limelight to his competitors with just weeks ahead of the June mayoral primary.
Chatter has also grown in recent weeks that Adams is likely to face fresh charges in his historic federal corruption case — a rumor given credence by federal prosecutors saying in an early January court filing that they uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by the mayor and his associates.
The feds’ shocking claim was made without further explanation, but understandably fueled speculation that another shoe is ready to drop against Adams.
Adams has forcefully denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys have mounted an aggressive defense ahead of a federal trial expected in April.
New charges wouldn’t just be a legal or political blow for Adams, but potentially also a financial one.
Adams’ legal defense fund is more than $735,000 in debt and donations have largely dried up, a disclosure shows.
The mayor’s illness and departure from public view coincided with a move made by a prominent ally.
Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens) announced Monday that she would drop her bid for city comptroller and instead enter the race for public advocate against incumbent Jumaane Williams, a vocal critic of Adams.
The public advocate, under city law, is first in line to succeed the mayor if the he or she steps down.
Adams projects a vigorous public image, but has battled major health issues.
He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2016 and temporarily suffered vision loss from the chronic disease.
The former Brooklyn borough president, state senator and NYPD captain also suffered nerve damage in his hands and feet that he previously told The Post could have led to amputation.
Adams — a self-described “imperfect” vegan who still occasionally partakes in fish — contends his adoption of a plant-based diet turned his health around.
While the mayor is a bona fide health nut, he has also showed an openness to fringe medical and scientific beliefs, such as deflecting whether he supports fluoridating water.
He once contended that a trove of rare gems and stones under New York gives it a “special energy” and has professed an admiration for Wim Hof, a controversial extreme athlete who espouses the health benefits of “cold therapy” through combination of ice baths and breathing exercises.
Additional reporting by Desheania Andrews