Cold weather death toll rises to 16 in New York City, Mamdani says
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that the death toll from the bitterly cold temperatures has increased to 16 New Yorkers.
"As of this morning, 16 of our fellow New Yorkers have passed away outside during this brutal stretch of cold."
Mayor Mamdani told reporters today that the death toll is climbing and despite his administration's best efforts, more than a dozen people have frozen to death on the city's streets.
"In 13 of these cases, preliminary findings indicate that hypothermia played a role, and three of these deaths appear to be overdose deaths," Mamdani said.
The mayor says outreach to the city's homeless has been stepped up steadily since sub-freezing temperatures first descended on New York 10 days ago.
"As of this morning, we have made more than 930 placements to shelters and safe havens," Mamdani said. "We have also involuntarily transported 18 New Yorkers who were determined to be a danger to themselves or to others."
The mayor has resisted calls to dismantle homeless encampments and claimed Monday that none of those who died in recent days had died in encampments.
But some in his own party say the mayor needs to take a harder line.
"Everybody should have their rights, but at the bottom line, if it's a Code Blue, we need to make sure people are being protected and that individuals are being taken into safe spaces to ensure that they're not dying," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
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