A New York nor’easter has claimed the life of a city worker struck by a falling tree, while a man is missing after being seen in the sea off Long Island as the powerful storm battered the US East Coast.
Leighton Brown, 56, an employee of the New York City Housing Authority, was hit at Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn at about 3.24pm on Saturday. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration was “mourning the loss of one of our own”. The housing authority said it was “deeply saddened” by Mr Brown’s death.
The New York Police Department described it as the first “potentially weather-related” death during the rare early-season nor’easter, which typically forms as autumn gives way to winter.
Four people were also injured when a tree collapsed in the Bronx at about 5.30pm. Two of those hurt were children, aged one and seven, while the adults were aged 40 and 41. All were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Search for missing man off Long Island
At Robert Moses State Park on Long Island, a man was reported missing after he was seen entering the ocean and did not return. His identity was not known.
Officials said the man was white and wearing dark shorts. The search was suspended overnight and was due to resume on Sunday, with New York State Police and Park Police appealing for information about his identity or disappearance.
The storm brought severe flooding to coastal areas of New York and New Jersey. A 15-foot wave was reported at the entrance to New York Harbour, while parts of Queens were flooded so badly that kayakers were seen travelling through streets and outside a subway station.
Nine adults and a dog were rescued from a motel in Pleasantville, New Jersey, after floodwater reached the first floor. Cars were submerged in several areas, and Atlantic City experienced flooding officials said was at its highest level since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency as the storm moved across the region. New York governor Kathy Hochul warned: “The rain is underway, and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words, much more is coming.”
New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill urged residents to “stay vigilant”, warning that a temporary lull in the worst weather did not mean the storm was over. Wind gusts of up to 60mph and between three and six inches of rain were expected in New York City, with similar totals forecast for parts of New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Cape Cod.
More than 131,000 people were without power early on Sunday, including almost 30,000 homes in Connecticut, about 26,000 in New York and around 18,000 in Virginia. Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey also reported outages.
The storm disrupted travel across the US, with more than 2,000 flights delayed and over 430 cancelled on Saturday. Events including the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park and the All Things Go Festival in Queens were cancelled over the weekend.
