Overview
- Officials report at least 19 people found dead outdoors since late January, plus seven hypothermia deaths at private residences confirmed by the medical examiner.
- City Hall assumed control of public updates from the NYPD around the end of January, resulting in delayed and incomplete releases that omitted ages, genders, locations, and 911 details, according to Gothamist.
- On Thursday, spokespeople for City Hall and the NYPD described the reporting change as a miscommunication, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani said policy had not changed and that the administration sought transparency.
- The Office of Chief Medical Examiner continues autopsies and toxicology for roughly two dozen cases, and officials say some deaths may ultimately be classified as overdoses rather than hypothermia.
- City Council leaders and critics are examining outreach and shelter policies after a mayoral spokesperson declined to share details on the seven in-home hypothermia deaths, saying they occurred off city property and that “people die in their homes all the time,” as reported by the New York Post.