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Man killed by falling tree in Brooklyn, NYC responds to hundreds of tree damage reports
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 26, 2026
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Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 26, 2026
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A 56 year-old NYCHA employee was killed by a falling tree in East New York on Saturday.
The NYPD said officers responded to 700 Euclid Ave. shortly before 3:30 p.m. and found the man in critical condition. They said police transported the man to Brookdale Hospital, where he died.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani identified the man as Leighton Brown, and, in a post on X, said the city was "mourning the loss of one of our own."
"My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss. May he rest in peace, and may his service to our city never be forgotten," the mayor said.
The NYPD said it could not confirm whether winds from this weekend’s nor’easter caused the tree to fall, but officials have encouraged residents to stay home to keep safe amid gusts topping 55 miles an hour.
City officials said earlier Saturday that the Parks Department had received hundreds of requests for help with downed or damaged trees since Friday, mostly in Queens and Brooklyn.
The department wrote on X it expected to be cleaning up from the storm for days.
It urged people to report emergencies and downed power lines to 911, and fallen or damaged trees to 311, or via the city’s damaged tree map.
Tagged
brooklyn
public safety
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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