A man has been killed by a falling tree in New York, as millions of Americans endure a powerful nor’easter that officials have said will only get worse throughout the weekend.
A 56-year-old man was rushed to the hospital on Saturday after a tree fell at 3.24pm, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed to the Daily Mail.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed late Saturday night that the victim was Leighton Brown, an employee of the New York City Housing Authority.
Brown was at Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn when he was fatally struck. Mamdani said his administration was ‘mourning the loss of one of our own.’
‘My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss. May he rest in peace, and may his service to our city never be forgotten,’ Mamdani added.
‘We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,’ NYCHA said in a statement.
The NYPD called the incident the first ‘potentially weather-related’ death in connection with the rare early-season nor’easter. Nor’easters typically form as the seasons transition from fall to winter.
A tree also collapsed in the Bronx, injuring four individuals at 5.30pm, a spokesperson for the New York Fire Department confirmed to the Daily Mail. They were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
A tree struck a man in Brooklyn during the nor’easter on Saturday, pictured above. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital
A powerful, rare nor’easter is ravaging parts of the US this weekend. A car is pictured above submerged in floodwaters near the Hudson River
Atlantic City has already seen historic flooding that officials say is reaching its highest levels since Superstorm Sandy in 2012
Meanwhile, in Long Island, another person has been reported missing after they were seen in the ocean at Robert Moses State Park and did not come back out, News 12 Long Island reported.
‘The rain is underway, and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words, much more is coming,’ Hochul said during a briefing on Saturday.
In a press release, the governor called the storm ‘dangerous,’ adding that it posed a ‘significant risk.’
Mamdani warned Big Apple residents on Friday not to travel over the weekend unless necessary.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said in a video message on Saturday afternoon that a lull in drastic weather does not mean the storm is over. She urged residents to ‘stay vigilant’ as the nor’easter gained traction.
Later in the day, Hochul said the nor’easter was already ‘bearing down’ on coastal areas in Long Island, New York City and Westchester County. New York and New Jersey have already declared a state of emergency.
A 15-foot wave was reported at the New York Harbor entrance on Saturday morning. Flooding has ravaged parts of Queens, with some even taking to the streets with kayaks.
Nicholas Isabella shared footage of multiple kayakers wading through the water outside a subway station in Howard Beach.
Kayakers were also seen gliding down a residential street in Queens as water flooded nearby businesses.
Cars were seen submerged in water as the storm ravaged New Jersey on Saturday. Governor Mikie Sherrill warned that an afternoon lull was not the end of the storm
A satellite image of the storm is pictured above the northeastern US on Saturday
Cars were seen fully submerged in floodwater in Edgewater, New Jersey, on Saturday afternoon
Atlantic City has seen severe flooding, reaching its highest level since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
New Jersey Representative Jeff Van Drew wrote on X that South Jersey was seeing ‘some of the worst flooding’ since the historic superstorm.
Massachusetts has also faced dangerous conditions. Massive waves were seen crashing into a seawall in Scituate, Massachusetts.
Saturday night’s full moon is adding to the massive waves on the Northeastern coastline. The waves are expected to reach their highest point during high tide at around 8pm EST.
As of Saturday evening, almost 108,000 Americans were without power, according to the live tracking site Power Outage.
The most outages were in New York, with just under 29,000 without power. Just under 20,000 customers in Connecticut were without power, while about 14,000 in New Jersey also saw outages.
About 6,000 families in Pennsylvania and 4,700 in Washington and Massachusetts were also without power. Less than 4,000 customers in Virginia and California also experienced outages.
A full moon on Saturday is intensifying high tide. Waves were seen crashing onto the Massachusetts shore
A 15-foot wave was reported in New York on Saturday afternoon. Children are seen above dodging the gigantic waves in Rye, New York
Sandbags were placed in Brooklyn as rainwater flooded the streets. A man in East New York was killed by a fallen tree on Saturday afternoon
Power outages are expected to increase as wind gusts reach 60 mph, and New Yorkers can expect 3 to 6 inches of rainfall.
Northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley are expecting about 2 to 6 inches, while Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and eastern Connecticut are expecting about 4 to 6 inches.
The storm has disrupted Americans’ travel plans across the country, with over 2,000 flights delayed and more than 430 canceled on Saturday.
The Global Citizen Festival in Central Park and the All Things Go Festival in Queens were also canceled this weekend because of the storm.
