By DAVID GREENE
FORMER NEW YORK City Councilman and newly ordained Minister Andy King officiates the wedding of Brian and Criselys Melford of Williamsbridge, The Bronx in Cancún, Mexico before later getting stranded in Mexico after a blizzard shut down New York airports, and violence broke out across Mexico when a drug cartel leader was shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.
Photo courtesy of Andy King
Former New York City Councilman Andy King (C.D. 12) is currently stuck in Mexico with a party of 25 New Yorkers sheltering in place at a hotel in Cancún, after the recent snow blizzard shut down New York airports and simultaneously, violence erupted across Mexico following the killing of the alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”
King represented the northeast Bronx, including Co-Op City. Oseguera Cervantes was allegedly killed by Mexican authorities on Sunday, Feb. 22, after two separate gun battles with the country’s authorities claimed the lives of 70 people. He was reportedly one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Irene Estrada, a Bronx minister, activist, and former 2025 mayoral candidate, alerted Norwood News to King’s predicament, saying, “He called me this morning; he’s stuck in Mexico. They went to a wedding he officiated and then they got stuck because of the snow. That was number one, but I don’t think the [Mexican] airports are safe for him to come home [either].”
A day earlier, some videos circulating on social media showed tourists running in panic through an airport in Mexico or sheltering in place as news spread of the cartel’s explosive response to the killing of Oseguera Cervantes.
Estrada, an American of Texas-Mexican descent, who also ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2023 in Council District 13, continued, “They said it’s happening on the west side, not the east side, but they just killed another person from the cartel. The second one got killed earlier today or yesterday.” She concluded, “I know that he’ll want to talk about the wedding, but the point is that me knowing the situation and conditions, they need to get out of there soon. I don’t think it’s safe for anything, period.”
King recently attended a vigil held in Kingsbridge for 16-year-old student, football player, and fatal gun violence victim, Christopher Redding, a week after he was killed on Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Kingsbridge.
When contacted later that evening by telephone, the former councilman who also heads up the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program, said, “Mexico! Yeah, it’s a little crazy! It’s a little scary. I came down here. Actually, you probably know the gentleman, Brian Melford, who was the president of the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program 17 years ago. He was the second president in my program and he got married, so I came down, because I am officially, as of October, an ordained minister so he asked me as one of my first official duties to marry him and his bride.”
King continued, “Needless to say that we would get down here, and a cartel king gets murdered and I’m hearing that a second murder just happened and those of us who are here have been stuck, not able to transition out and get back, and all of us were supposed to leave over the weekend and now, [not only due to] the slight terrorism that’s on the horizon, but also due to the snowstorm in the City of New York that shut down New York as well.”
King then said, “We’re just staying in place, keep praying and giving our love and faith to the most high Jesus Christ to protect us and guide us and get us back home to our homes, and to our families and friends back in the City of New York, so that’s where we are.”
When asked where he was and if his hotel was safe, King replied, “Yes, we are. We are in Cancún which we were told, where we are located, is in the southeast, and much of the stuff is happening in the west, so we’re just planning what to do because the flights were shut down. Cargo flights were shut down, a lot of stuff was shut down, but we’re hoping that when we do get to the airport that the services on this side of Mexico that we won’t have any challenges.”
BISHOP BOYD SINGLETARY (center), joins family, friends, football team members, elected officials and others, in calling for justice for 16-year-old Christopher Redding during a vigil and rally held at the corner of West 238th Street and Broadway in Kingsbridge, The Bronx on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, one week after Christopher was fatally shot at the same location. Former Council Member for C.D. 12, Andy King, is seen on the left in tan and black colored clothing.
Photo by David Greene
He added, “The airlines need to do what they need to do because of safety, not only because of the burning down of Mexico at this moment in time, but due to the snowstorm that tackled the City of New York and the Tri-State area.” King was asked how many people were in his wedding party. “Oh there was a lot down here!” he said. “You’re talking about over 100 folks here. Right now, it’s probably about 25 of us still trying to make our way out because some folks were going to New York, some folks went to different states. If you were going to a different state, you were fine, but the snowstorm shut us down altogether. You know we had a double whammy.”
Asked if he was in touch with the airline, the State Department or Mexican authorities, King said, “We’ve been in contact, more importantly, with the airline. Some folks said if we need to talk to somebody, but we haven’t been in that situation, that we had to reach out to the embassy.” He said the remaining members of the party were expected to travel back Wednesday and Thursday. He said he hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to contact the embassy. “We hope that we return safely,” he said.
According to King, flights to New York were due to resume Wednesday when Brian and Criselys Melford, the bride and groom from the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx, were expected to return home. King is expected to catch a flight on Thursday. He concluded, “I literally just left the bride and groom and just prayed over them again to make sure we all get out of here safely.”
According to a State Department alert issued August 12, 2025, Mexico is considered a “Level 2” country from a travel risk perspective and American travelers are urged to “exercise increased caution” due to terrorism, crime, kidnapping, and hostage taking risks.
King was expelled, as reported, from the City Council in 2020 amid a corruption scandal. Though fined following an investigation, he denies any wrongdoing.