Mayor Eric Adams now has the dubious honor of being the first sitting mayor in modern New York City history to be indicted.

After news of the indictment broke, Adams vowed to remain at City Hall while he fought the criminal charges. That decision, however, may not be entirely up to him. Here’s what could happen next.

Governor Kathy Hochul could remove Adams from office.

The city charter states that the governor can fire the mayor after he is accused of a crime. Whether Hochul does so is up to her. The governor and the mayor are staunch allies.

“Governor Hochul is aware of these disturbing news reports and is monitoring the situation. It would be premature to comment further until the matter has been confirmed by law enforcement,” Avi Small, the governor’s press secretary, said late Wednesday night.

Adams could resign, leaving Public Advocate Jumaane Williams as acting mayor.

Should Adams resign, Williams would serve as mayor until a special election is held to select a replacement. According to the charter, the acting mayor must announce a date for that election within three days of the mayor’s resignation.

William Gerlich, a spokesman for the district attorney, called the news of the charges “extremely serious.” He said Williams would say more as the facts become known, but that “his focus now is on how best to ensure New Yorkers can restore confidence, security and stability in our city government.”

Should Williams be unable to serve for any reason, the next in line is City Controller Brad Lander, who is running for mayor.

Two previous mayors, Jimmy Walker in 1932 and Bill O’Dwyer in 1950, resigned amid corruption investigations surrounding their administrations. But unlike Adams, Walker and O’Dwyer were not indicted while in office.

Adams could remain mayor.

That’s the option Adams chose when news of the indictment, which was still sealed late Wednesday night, broke. Calls for Adams to resign quickly mounted from fellow Democrats, including his primary challengers.

Earlier on Wednesday — hours before news of the charges broke — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she didn’t see how Adams “could continue to govern” and that the “flood of resignations and vacancies threatens the very function of government.” Earlier this month, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigned shortly after federal agents seized his phones. Two days later, Adams’ chief attorney, Lisa Zornberg, resigned.

On Tuesday, Schools Chancellor David Banks — whose phones were also seized — said he would retire at the end of the year. Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan also announced plans to step down early next year. Vasan has not been linked to an ongoing federal investigation.

Federal authorities are conducting at least four separate investigations into Adams’ administration or his campaign.

This story has been updated with a statement from Avi Small, spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul.