I didn’t expect to have one foot in as a private citizen and the other as a reporter during my sole day as a juror at Manhattan Criminal Court. I figured I’d brace myself for two days of killing my hours in a giant room nervously awaiting my name to be called as though it were some kind of death sentence.

But, the day before as I was wrapping up a long production day, in came the email showing the next day’s public schedule for Mayor Bill de Blasio: jury duty.

I immediately told this to my wife via text, who was floored. In a city of roughly eight million, I happen to have the same jury duty date as the Mayor.

I can tell you it was no boring day at 100 Centre St. I got to court before de Blasio, noticing the Mayor’s security detail waiting outside the courthouse along with his communications director, Eric Phillips, and a bevy of news photographers ready to snap photos of de Blasio’s arguably only time service in a jury as Mayor of New York City.

In the giant jury pool upstairs, the buzz of de Blasio’s visit overcame the hum of the air conditioners. De Blasio arrived with Eric alongside, which I thought was a no-no, but I suppose it’s a public room?

My perception of de Blasio’s service, from my vantage point, seemed somewhat genuine. Here was a longtime New Yorker having to do his civil duty. At the same time, it allowed him to score points with his mostly adoring public. An employee at the courthouse (won’t mention name or title) said, “F— him. He hasn’t done anything for me!”

There was a pleasant tone throughout de Blasio’s visit. He sat at the front row facing the court officer’s desk. Like everyone else he sat through a standard instructional video on the jury selection process, studying the screen with intent.

Throughout the jury’s time, eyes had drifted toward de Blasio. Some sneaky. Some full blown stares. There was confusion alright. Aren’t mayors supposed to be excused? They’re running a city for crying out loud.

“Guess everyone has to serve,” one lady was overheard saying.

”That’s why the cops checked out the place. I knew it wasn’t for us,” another prospective juror told me.

Not too far away were some reporters from the City Hall press corps. who brazenly went inside the jury room to rightfully keep tabs on the Mayor. I spotted Jillian Jorgensen, the awesome City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Daily News. We made small talk, and talked shop, mainly the unfortunate gutting of the newspaper’s staff. I left her alone and went back to my seat.

Shortly after the video, a 45-minute break was called. In my capacity as a reporter, I’ve had to be the one asking him questions. I didn’t want him thinking I was there for that. So, out of an abundance of transparency, I approached him. He initially thought I was a constituent, eyes smiling as all of his 6’ 5” of him stood up. Though de Blasio couldn’t quite figure out who I was, Eric did, recognizing me as the editor of the Norwood News.

“I’m here to serve, just like you,” I told him. “We’re all serving.”

“It’s the great equalizer,” said de Blasio. My guess he was referring to the random selection process that is jury duty.

I went outside the jury room during the break, and approached Jillian, who interviewed me about the experience so far. A New York Times reporter and New York Post reporter stood alongside Jillian, their recorders out as they heard my take so far.

Then it came time for what we were there for: selection. Out of a list of 75 people, de Blasio’s name was called first followed by mine. The battalion of jurors were ushered out of the main jury pool room and told to head downstairs to the eleventh floor. De Blasio stood as the rock star, having no qualms speaking with people. He then turned to me, laughing, “we’re on the same boat, man!”

The courtroom was once again the scene of noticeable stares, with court officers keeping professional as the man who runs the City of New York sat among the other jurors, sometimes sneaking in a conversation or two with eager New Yorkers. He sat on the fifth row, as an affable judge gave instructions. She knew who the Mayor was, but treated him like everyone else.

Not sure if this is a sign of good or bad luck, but de Blasio was named to be a juror. A court officer directed him to his seat, sitting in the back row of the 16-seat jury box.

The questions came thereafter, chief among them was whether any vacation time will hinder your participation in the case that’ll last through August 16.

De Blasio had a conflict, explaining to the judge his pre-planned trip would make him ineligible to participate. The judge, treating de Blasio like everyone else, excused him from the jury box and told to head back to the 15th floor. I stayed behind, though I ultimately was told to head back up.

I ran into him again, asking him if he’s still here. De Blasio looked up from his phone, grinning “Oh yeah.”

An hour later, the jury officer dismissed the remaining members of the jury pool, including de Blasio. It was a relief for me as now I officially start my vacation. Not so much for de Blasio.

Amid requests for selfies was a question about education. “When are the state test scores supposed to come out?” asked a dismissed juror. For de Blasio, it was back to work running this complex city.

I’m still processing over where this coincidence up with the Mayor fits into my career. It’s certainly awkward. But certainly unique.

I may be the only reporter to have served jury duty alongside the Mayor, whom I also supposed to report on.

David Cruz is editor-in-chief of the Norwood News. 

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.