Ten people were found dead outdoors in New York City during Winter Storm Fern, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The mayor announced the deaths on Tuesday, Jan. 27, according to News 12 Brooklyn and CBS affiliate WCBS. Officials have not yet determined the cause of death in each case.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said six people died overnight Friday, Jan. 23, and one died overnight Saturday, Jan. 24, CW affiliate WPIX reported. A 90-year-old woman was also found dead in Brooklyn on the morning of Monday, Jan. 26.
The woman was identified by loved ones as Doreen Ellis, who had dementia, according to Gothamist. The outlet reported that Ellis left her Crown Heights apartment overnight and was later discovered in the backyard of a building on New York Avenue near Sterling Place.
A neighbor, Junior Sharpe, said Ellis was wearing a blue nightgown, a headscarf, and one sock when she was found. A white shawl was also discovered beside her.
“She had done that [wandered out] before, but this was in the summertime. Being that it’s cold, you don’t think that somebody will go outside,” he said. “She just got lost.”
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The deaths come as sub-freezing temperatures continue across much of the United States, including the Northeast.
“We don’t yet know whether every case will be ruled hypothermia, but we need every New Yorker to be on alert, looking out for their neighbors,” Mamdani said, according to WCBS and WPIX.
Mamdani also announced an expansion of emergency services citywide aimed at helping residents without shelter during the cold snap, according to Fox affiliate WNYW. He described the current stretch as one of the coldest in years.
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As part of an updated emergency protocol, the city is increasing street outreach and stepping up canvassing efforts, the mayor said.
In addition, ten more warming shelters — two in each borough — have opened across the city, WCBS reported.
“We are intensifying outreach, we are conducting round-the-clock checks, and have loosened traditional shelter intake procedures to accommodate as many New Yorkers as possible,” Mamdani said.
