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81-year-old found dead on Brooklyn roof, 2 other men found dead on subway, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Feb 9, 2026
Modified Feb 9, 2026
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Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Feb 9, 2026
Modified Feb 9, 2026
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New York City medical examiners are investigating the causes of death for three men found in separate locations over the weekend, including one on the roof of a Brooklyn building and two on different subway trains, according to the NYPD.
Police said the first man was discovered around 10 a.m. Saturday, when officers responded to a 911 call at an apartment building on Avenue H and New York Avenue in East Flatbush. When they arrived, they discovered an 81-year-old man unconscious on the roof, according to officials. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Neighbors at the co-op building said on Monday that the man may have been on the roof because an elevator outage in the basement made it hard for residents to get from one side of the complex to the other. Although the elevators were working normally from the first to sixth floors, several residents said unclear messaging about frequent outages meant some neighbors had grown accustomed to walking across the roof to get to their side, especially if they lived on the upper floors.
One resident said her doorbell camera caught the man walking up the stairs to the roof with several shopping bags around 3 p.m. on Friday. The roof was covered with ice all weekend, which several neighbors said may have caused him to slip and fall. Residents said he lived alone on the sixth floor, in a unit next to a flight of stairs leading to the roof.
Ice covers the roof of the East Flatbush building where police say an 81-year-old man was found dead, on Feb. 9, 2026.
Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
The NYPD has not yet released the man’s name as the department works to notify his family. Police said they were looking into whether the weekend’s extremely cold weather may have played a role in his death.
Medallion Real Estate, the company that manages the building, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate incident, police said they found a 23-year-old man unresponsive on a northbound 7 train near Grand Central Terminal around 3:15 a.m. Sunday. First responders took him to NYU Langone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The man had no visible signs of body trauma, officials said. Police have also not released his identity pending family notification.
Several hours later, around 9:40 a.m. Sunday, the NYPD said a second man was found dead on the subway. He was discovered on a D train near the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, and first responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
Officials said this man also lacked signs of physical trauma. They said he was middle-aged, but were still working to identify him.
None of the three cases was immediately classified as a homicide, and police made no arrests.
The deaths come as the city continues to grapple with dangerously cold conditions during which at least 18 New Yorkers have been found dead outdoors or in public spaces since Jan. 24, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration.
The city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released details late Friday about five of the earliest deaths, concluding each person had died of hypothermia caused by exposure to the cold.
Alcohol or ethanol intoxication was listed as a contributing condition in three of those cases, while methamphetamine played a role in a fourth, according to medical examiners. The fifth person died outside of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, officials said.
All five of these fatalities were ruled accidental and happened between Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 across four boroughs, medical examiners said.
Officials said they’re still determining the causes of the other 13 deaths. Mamdani previously said that based on an initial analysis, hypothermia was suspected as a factor in most of the 18 total deaths, and three were believed to be drug-related.
His administration has urged people to call 311 if they see anyone outside who appears vulnerable to the cold. During the city’s ongoing Code Blue weather emergency, such calls will be routed to 911 so that first responders can mobilize to provide assistance.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and has been updated with additional details.
Tagged
brooklyn
east flatbush
new york city
public safety
weather
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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