Dangerous cold: 13 found dead outside in New York City this week

Saturday, January 31, 2026 

With temperatures plummeting, city officials are ramping up efforts to get homeless people indoors.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- As temperatures plummeted last weekend, perilous cold conditions led local officials to warn New Yorkers of the dangers of prolonged exposure to severe winter weather. This week, thirteen people were found dead on the streets of New York City, despite the Code Blue issued by city leadership.

According to the city's Department of Homeless Services, "a Code Blue Weather Emergency notice is issued when the temperature drops to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or less between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., including National Weather Service calculations for wind chill values. No one who is homeless and seeking shelter in New York City during a Code Blue will be denied."

By Sunday, five New Yorkers had been found dead, possibly linked to the severe cold. 

On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said ten deaths had been linked to winter weather.

"We don't yet know if every case will be ruled hypothermia, but we need every New Yorker to be out on alert, looking after their neighbors," Mamdani said.

Officials said at this point, it does not look like any of the 10 who have died are on the city's known homeless person list.

In one case, an Ecuadorian immigrant was discovered on a park bench in Corona, Queens. The 52-year-old had been treated for substance abuse issues and was discharged from the hospital days before he was found.

In another case, 90-year-old Doreen Ellis was discovered Monday behind her apartment building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her niece says she has dementia and wanders off.

Mamdani said the city remains in a Code Blue, which means city officials are intensifying outreach, coordinating round-the-clock checks and have loosened traditional shelter intake procedures to accommodate as many New Yorkers as possible.

"But Code Blue alone is not enough in cold this severe, this rare," the mayor said. "That is why we are executing new additional emergency protocols to enhance our efforts."

He said they are re-routing 311 calls to 911 so help gets there faster, sending out staff every few hours to canvass nearby blocks and engage anyone who needs assistance.

The mayor has opposed involuntarily removing the homeless but told reporters on Tuesday that it may be necessary under extreme circumstances.

Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park spoke out about the department's outreach efforts.

"With respect to involuntary removals, it is DHS' policy to only do them only in situations when there is no other option," Park said. "We are focused whenever possible on building relationships of trust, as the mayor noted, we have been able to bring in more than 500 people almost entirely voluntarily over the last week. That is really our focus. If somebody is truly in danger, we will take action to save their lives."

Mamdani said the driving decision for an involuntary removal is if the New Yorker is a danger to themselves or others.

"This is a last resort," Mamdani said. "Our first method of outreach is to communicate to homeless New Yorkers across the five boroughs as to the options they have. We are, however, not going to leave someone out in the cold if they are a danger to themselves or others."

Mamdani said the increased procedures are not because of the 10 deaths, but because of the impending cold.

Of the ten people found outside in the cold weather, four were in Queens, three were in Brooklyn, two were in Manhattan and one was in the Bronx.

"Code Blue alone is not enough in cold this severe, this rare," the mayor said. "That is why we are executing new additional emergency protocols to enhance our efforts," Mayor Mamdani said Tuesday as the cold stretch continued.

Mamdani called involuntary removal of homeless people from the streets "a last resort," emphasizing his desire to "communicate to homeless New Yorkers across the five boroughs as to the options they have."

On Friday, the Mayor's office confirmed thirteen outdoor deaths.

A City Hall spokesperson released a statement on Friday saying,

"We can confirm there have been 13 outdoor deaths since the start of the snow storm and this stretch of life-threatening cold weather. From our DSS workers to NYPD officers, our administration has intensified homeless outreach efforts and successfully made over 800 placements since the beginning of what could be the longest period of consecutive sub-32 degree days in city history.

"And tonight, as part of our whole of government response to this weather crisis, we have opened a new low-barrier shelter and are utilizing on-call ambulettes that will go through the city and that will go directly to homeless individuals, encourage them to come into the unit for a meal and to warm up, and address any clinical needs."