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6 deaths outside in NYC being investigated for links to the extreme cold
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jan 25, 2026
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Herb Pinder/Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jan 25, 2026
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A 52-year-old man died on a Queens street Sunday, the sixth death possibly linked to the extreme cold this weekend, officials said.
Police officers responding to a 911 call at 96th Street and 34th Avenue in North Corona, Queens, found the man outside, unconscious and unresponsive at 10:30 a.m., according to the NYPD. EMS workers pronounced him dead at the scene around 40 minutes later, police said.
At a press conference earlier on Sunday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people had been pronounced dead after being found outside on Saturday, during the worst cold spell the city has experienced in years. The wind chill both Saturday and Sunday dipped well below freezing.
“ For those without shelter, the intense cold can be fatal,” Mamdani said. “I send my deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold and how vulnerable many of our neighbors are, especially homeless New Yorkers.”
Police said investigations are ongoing in all six cases, and that the medical examiner will determine the official causes of death.
Mamdani urged New Yorkers to call 311 if they believe someone needs help, adding all such calls are being rerouted to 911 as the city remains in “cold blue” — an emergency protocol when temperatures drop below freezing through the night. The mayor said Department of Social Services workers continue to check on vulnerable New Yorkers.
Early Saturday morning, an unconscious and unresponsive man was found outside 185-46 Hilburn Ave. in Jamaica, Queens, and transported to a city hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Also early Saturday, two other men were found unconscious outside different locations in Manhattan. According to the NYPD, one was pronounced dead on the scene, and the other was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian in critical condition, and later pronounced dead.
The NYPD said two other people, a man and a woman, were discovered dead in separate locations in Brooklyn. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.
Police said investigations are ongoing in all six cases, and that the medical examiner will determine the official causes of death.
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Winter Storm January 2026
new york city
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Catalina Gonella
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