{"id":358353,"date":"2026-09-27T21:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T21:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358353\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T21:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T21:44:09","slug":"nyc-nycha-worker-killed-in-noreaster-by-falling-tree-just-spoke-about-lifes-unpredictability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358353\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC NYCHA worker killed in nor’easter by falling tree just spoke about life’s unpredictability"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brooklyn NYCHA worker killed by a falling tree during the weekend\u2019s nor\u2019easter<\/a> had an eerily prescient final conversation about the unpredictability of life with one of his neighbors before heading out to work that day.<\/p>\n

Leighton Brown, a much-loved maintenance worker at the Cypress Hills Houses, was fatally struck by the tree<\/a> about 3:20 p.m. Saturday on the job near Euclid and Dumont Aves. in East New York.<\/p>\n

His neighbor in Canarsie recalled his final conversation with Brown hours earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what he said to me? He said to me, \u2018You see someone today, you might not see them tomorrow,’\u201d said Brown\u2019s neighbor, who declined to give his name. \u201cThat\u2019s what hit me now. He said that to me when he was leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown was dutifully working an unplanned overtime shift during the storm, neighbors said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was looking forward to going to work,\u201d the neighbor said.\u00a0 \u201cThey called him and said, \u2018Hey, you should come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The neighbor, who described himself as \u201cspiritual,\u201d believes Brown\u2019s tragic death was fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means your time has come. It\u2019s time to go,\u201d he said. \u201cThese trees (in New York City), the roots are shallow. They tip over easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Footage from Citizen<\/a> showed several firefighters working to free Brown from under the massive tree.<\/p>\n

\"NYCHA<\/p>\n

Facebook<\/p>\n

NYCHA worker Leighton Brown was killed by a falling tree during Saturday’s nor’easter. (Facebook)<\/p>\n

The neighbor described Brown as quiet and kind, someone who always provided the music whenever the neighbor had a party.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a nice guy. Very helpful,\u201d said another neighbor, Nola Edwards. \u201cHe smiles and he says hello. He talks to quite a few people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards said Brown was diligent in going to work and didn\u2019t worry about the weather at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cMostly all the time he\u2019s at work,\u201d she said. \u201cHe went to work one day when it snowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents at the Cypress Houses described Brown as a beloved handyman Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came the other day to fix my light and they told me that he was the one that was under the tree,\u201d said resident David Ortiz, 49, said. \u201cHe was very kind. He loved my dog. He was like, \u2018I\u2019m going to kidnap your dog one day.\u2019 It\u2019s so sad. Like I got goosebumps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ortiz was sitting with his wife in his kitchen when they heard a \u201cbig bang,\u201d thinking at first the tree had landed on a garbage can. But he learned the truth when he ran outside to get a better look.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was already gone, you could tell he was gone,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cThat was a big, heavy tree that fell on top of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Julian Roberts-Grmela \/ New York Daily News<\/p>\n

A massive tree toppled by the wind from a nor’easter killed a 56-year-old worker at NYCHA’s Cypress Hills Houses on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Julian Roberts-Grmela \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Mayor Mamdani mourned Brown\u2019s death in in a statement on social media<\/a> late Saturday. \u201cTonight, we are mourning the loss of one of our own after NYCHA employee, Leighton Brown, died,\u201d Mamdani wrote. \u201cMy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s friends paid tribute on Facebook Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t (know) why it had to happen,\u201d one friend wrote. \u201cI am going to miss you bro. I am truly hurting right now. I lost a friend and brother. Hard worker always doing the right thing for people. But God is in control. #LeightonBrown you will never be forgotten. Rest In Heavenly Peace I am praying for his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams urged New Yorkers to keep an eye out for unsafe trees Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe mourn deeply for the loss of Leighton Brown, a NYCHA employee who faithfully served Brooklyn residents and who was known for his warm personality,\u201d Williams said on Facebook.<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cNew Yorkers, let\u2019s keep each other safe. If you spot a tree that may be dangerous, report it to NYC 311.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Courtesy of David Ortiz<\/p>\n

A massive tree toppled by the wind from a nor’easter killed a 56-year-old worker at NYCHA’s Cypress Hills Houses on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Courtesy of David Ortiz)<\/p>\n

By Sunday morning, the city Parks Department had received 1,273 service requests for damaged or fallen trees<\/a>, 511 of which are for downed trees, though many of those reports may be duplicates, a Parks spokesman said.<\/p>\n

In June, an 85-year old retired statistician who loved taking long walks in nature was killed<\/a> in a freak accident when a sudden summer storm toppled a tree that crushed him in a Queens park.<\/p>\n

Zenon Reynarowych died on a footpath in Forest Park on June 6 around 8:30 p.m., when the fast-moving thunderstorm brought powerful winds that downed hundreds of trees across the city.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Brandlein, a neighbor who knew Reynarowych, was left in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the odds? It\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d Brandlein said at the time. \u201cIt was like winning the lottery that no one wants to win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brooklyn NYCHA worker killed by a falling tree during the weekend\u2019s nor\u2019easter had an eerily prescient final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[98,262,263,266,85,267,9,24,264,12,56,63,261,65,64,265],"class_list":["post-358353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-brooklyn","tag-city","tag-county","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-county","tag-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-crime","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-sub-county-region"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}