NewsUpdated: May. 18, 2026, 9:12 a.m.|Published: May. 18, 2026, 8:40 a.m.
A squirrel making contact with overhead wires caused a power outage in Sunnyside on Monday, May 18 that affected over 90 homes.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Power was restored in Sunnyside after a squirrel caused an outage affecting over 90 homes on Monday morning.
The outage was first reported at around 7 a.m. Monday and affected customers along Grand Avenue, between Glenwood Avenue and Rugby Avenue.
Over 90 customers were affected by the outage on Monday, May 18, according to the Con Ed outage map.(Courtesy Con Ed)
At one point, 93 customers reported not having power in the immediate area, according to the Con Ed power outage map.
A spokesperson for Con Ed said that the outage was caused by a squirrel making contact with an overhead wire in the area.
A dead squirrel with charred fur was seen on the sidewalk underneath power lines on Grand Avenue.
One resident affected by the outage said that she heard a loud popping noise right before the power went out.
The Con Ed spokesperson confirmed that power had been restored to the area by around 8:50 a.m.
Mike Matteo covers breaking and trending news for the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com. Matteo, a Staten Island native, graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY in 2023 with a… more