Category: Brooklyn News

Why are New York City taxi drivers dying on the job? 

A 52-year-old cabbie was found dead in his car Friday night — the third death of its kind in as many months, prompting the union representing the city’s for-hire-vehicle drivers to demand action on Monday. 

The union — the NY Taxi Workers Alliance — said that the driver, who it declined to identify out of respect for his family, pulled over after making a drop-off in Manhattan’s West Village between 5 and 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 11.

“He started work around 2:30 that afternoon and all the friends, they talk to each other, so they inform each other when they’re starting their shift,” said the union’s executive director, Bhairavi Desai, of how he and his other driver friends communicate throughout the day.

“After the rush hour, everyone’s trying to just contact each other, maybe have a break together, and they just couldn’t find him,” she added. “He wasn’t answering.”

The driver’s friends tracked down his cab to where he parked near the corner of 7th Avenue and Charles Street around 11 p.m. Friday night, Desai said. They were able to find him by contacting the broker for his taxi medallion, who used a GPS locator attached to the cab’s meter to trace it to the West Village corner.

“The broker found that he had done a drop between 5 and 5:30, and the car had not moved since then,” she said. “So then the friends drove there immediately and got there around 11, and that’s when they saw that he was just inside the car.”

Desai said the driver’s friends noticed upon arriving that the cab was on with the air conditioning running. She added that they then immediately called 911.

Emergency services personnel arrived and found the driver unresponsive, according to the NYPD. They tried to resuscitate him but were unable to, pronouncing him dead at the scene.

The alliance will hold a memorial for the driver on Tuesday morning at the West Village intersection where he was found.

Taxi drivers need self-care, union rep says

The driver’s cause of death is still being determined by the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the NYPD. However, Desai said, the speculation is that he had a heart attack.

The driver, who lives on Long Island, is survived by his wife and 10-year-old twin children, Desai said. He has been a cabbie for many years, having purchased his taxi medallion with two of his friends in 2023.

The death comes after the union late last month held a vigil to honor one of the other taxi drivers who recently died in their cabs over the summer.

The 73-year-old driver, Gustave Bertrand Adjeli Yao, known in Harlem as 73-year-old Richard Coulibaly, was found by the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to have died from natural causes. Coulibaly died on July 2, during an extreme heat wave, which included the city’s first 100-degree day in over a decade.

The union held a separate memorial this past Friday for the other driver who died in their cab over the summer: Khalifa Siva.

Desai said Siva was diabetic and was found holding his insulin while pulled over inside his cab on the Henry Hudson Parkway near 81st Street in Upper Manhattan in late August.

When it comes to the connection between all three deaths, Desai said she believes they stem from drivers having to make fewer trips over longer hours with less time for breaks.

“They’re just spending less time, even during the shift, taking care of themselves,” she said. “Less time to go to the doctor and get your medicine and just properly take care of yourself. You’re supposed to work the job. The job’s not supposed to work you.”

A fellow cab driver named Wain Chin expressed a similar sentiment in a WhatsApp message shared with amNewYork.

“Too many of us put in long hours of work to cope with the rising cost of operation and living,” Chin said. “The same time app companies are trimming the compensation for our work. It is so much one body can take.”

Desai said the best solution is “comprehensive economic reform” for the industry that can allow drivers to earn more “without working themselves to death.” Additionally, she said they could use more resources for access to health care.

Twenty-five years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Brooklyn communities once again gathered in vigils to remember the lives lost — and the neighbors, first responders and public servants who helped carry the borough through the aftermath.

In Marine Park, community members gathered Sept. 10 at the Carmine Carro Community Center for a 9/11 vigil led by Assembly Member Jaime Williams, a tradition that dates back to Sept. 23, 2001.

State Sen. Roxanne Persaud, who attended the Marine Park remembrance, reflected on the lasting impact of the attacks and the continued toll of 9/11-related illnesses.

“It is a day that each of us remembers what we were doing and where we were when we were attacked. Some of us lost relatives, friends and colleagues,” Persaud wrote on Facebook.

Persaud noted that she continues to participate in annual remembrance events that remind Brooklynites how profoundly the world changed that day.

“We continue to annually update our health information on the registry,” she said. “Each year I participate in several events where we are reminded that our world changed on that day and we must Never Forget.”

A day later, hundreds gathered at the American Veterans Memorial Pier in Bay Ridge for another annual vigil hosted by NIA Community Services Network in partnership with State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso.

For Bay Ridge, the commemoration carries particular weight.

“Bay Ridge alone has lost so many to September 11th and its aftermath,” Santosuosso said. “They were family, friends and neighbors. People who walked our sidewalks and lived in our homes. They are heroes whose names adorn street signs across our neighborhood.”

Santosuosso said the annual gathering has become a decades-old tradition — one that reflects the neighborhood’s longstanding commitment to looking out for one another.

“This vigil of ours celebrates our capacity as neighbors to come together in mourning and strengthen each other in mutual support and love of those of us here tonight.”

Virginia Chieco, director of development and communications at NIA Community Services Network, said the vigil has become an enduring part of Bay Ridge’s identity.

“Here in Bay Ridge, we come together not only to remember, but to retain ourselves the strength that comes from community,” Chieco said.

She pointed to the “spirit of service” that emerged in the days and months following the attacks.

“In the days and months following Sept. 11, we saw neighbors helping neighbors, strangers reaching out to one another, and countless people answering the call to serve,” Chieco said. “That spirit of service and compassion continues to guide our community today.”

Gounardes used the 25th anniversary to reflect on how much has changed since the attacks — and the responsibility of those who remember to preserve that history for people who do not.

“Twenty-five years ago, in this very spot, one could look several miles north and see a fiery column of smoke and ash and dust spewing from where the towers of the World Trade Center once pierced the sky,” Gounardes said. “Standing here, one need only look down to see firsthand the destruction that had been wrought as papers and debris from the Trade Center site littered this pier.”

But, he said, remembrance must go beyond mourning.

“Twent-five years later, it is no longer sufficient for us just to mourn,” Gounardes said. “To grieve or to cry.”

With generations growing up without a personal memory of Sept. 11, he called on those who lived through the attacks and their aftermath to become stewards of that history.

“For us, the living, our responsibility is to no longer be just a witness to the history of September 11th, but to also be custodians of that history to make sure it is never lost,” Gounardes said.

“Our duty is not merely to be storytellers of that day, but to be custodians of that history. We must guard it and protect it. We must hold that history in trust for future generations so that they, too, can trace the still lingering scar of a wound that they have no memory of ever receiving.”

Colonel Raul M. Medrano, garrison commander of Fort Hamilton, also reflected on Brooklyn’s role in the response following the attacks.

“Fort Hamilton became a staging ground for personnel and equipment essential to the massive response that this city needed,” Medrano said.

He described the relationship between Fort Hamilton and the surrounding community as one built on mutual support in the years following the tragedy.

“You wrapped your arms around us and we in turn swore to keep standing watch over you. That is the story of Brooklyn. Not just what happened on that Tuesday morning, but what happened in the days, months and years after, when a neighborhood decided that grief would not have the final word,” Medrano said. “Resilience would.”

That resilience, he said, remains at the heart of the annual Bay Ridge gathering.

“As I look around tonight, I see something that I believe is uniquely Brooklyn. I see a community that has never stopped showing up,” Medrano said. “You refuse to let this moment fade into history. You refuse to let it become just a paragraph in a textbook.”

For Santosuosso, continuing to gather is itself an act of remembrance.

“When we look out for each other, when we help a neighbor in need, even when we attend events like this one, we are keeping the impact of our lost loved ones alive,” she said.

“We are showing that even in the face of inconceivable darkness and loss, our love for each other and the community we share wins out.”

Building on the success of its inaugural show in 2025, the “People’s Runway” returned to Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza on Sept. 12, transforming the public square into a vibrant runway spotlighting the bold and creative collections of five Brooklyn-based fashion designers.

Part of New York Fashion Week, the event became an instant cultural phenomenon last year and drew fashionistas, community members and celebs celebrating Brooklyn’s creativity and global cultural influence — the Brooklyn way, with no special VIP invitation required.

The fashion show is part of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s Arts Ambassador Initiative, which supports the borough’s vibrant creative community, mentors emerging artists, connects creatives with cultural institutions and expands access to the arts.

The Brooklyn Beep collaborated with Brooklyn’s first-ever Arts Ambassador, Colm Dillane — the creative mind behind KidSuper — to develop the event. The initiative aims to elevate emerging designers, help them “get their foot in the door” in an industry that is difficult to break into, and allow them to present their collections on a global stage.

“I wanted a culminating event to speak on arts in Brooklyn. And what we didn’t want to do was bring a bunch of established artists who aren’t from Brooklyn to come here and use the space,” Reynoso said. “So we talked about bringing five emerging artists from Brooklyn to be able to come on stage during New York Fashion Week, which I thought was deeply important.”

The Brooklyn Beep noted that the People’s Runway was the only NYFW event open to the public.

“Every other [NYFW] show is VIP, or you need to know somebody, or you got to be a part of the industry. So what you’re seeing here is 1000s of people that are going to show up to see a New York Fashion Week show for the first time, and we love that,” Reynoso said. “If you come to Brooklyn, you’ve got to do it for the Brooklyn people. You can’t come out here and only do it for exclusive VIP clients. Everybody’s VIP in Brooklyn.”

The crowd also got a surprise musical performance by music icons Wyclef Jean and Ms. Lauryn Hill at the end of the show — both wearing KidSuper designs — who dazzled the fashionistas with songs like “No Woman, No Cry” and the 1996 Fugees hit “Ready or Not,” celebrating 30 years since the release of the Fugees’ landmark 1996 album, “The Score.”

“Lauryn Hill being here,” Reynoso said. “She is one of my favorite rappers of all time.”

In June, Reynoso and Dillane launched an open call for emerging designers and, after reviewing hundreds of applications, selected Kuai Li, Lamin Rey Jaiteh, Laural Tiange Fang, Moses Aina and Roderick Reyes to showcase their collections.

In addition to a $5,000 grant from Borough President Reynoso, the designers also received matching funds from Converse and Cash App, totaling $15,000 for each designer. They also received mentorship from Dillane and other industry leaders leading up to the full-service fashion show, which included styling, hair and makeup, runway lighting and sound.

The designers wowed the crowd with their creativity, showcasing their collections for celebrities including Wale, Francisco Lindor, Fabulous, Ellie the Elephant, Beenie Man, Jim Jones, Lil Mama, Mark Vientos, Joey Bada$$, Wisdom Kaye, Serge Ibaka, Russ, Fivio Foreign, YG Marley, NLE Choppa, Huddy and more.

Li’s collection, “Tender Armor,” explored protection, vulnerability and the moment when quiet strength becomes visible. Jaiteh’s collection, “iDEK” (I Don’t Even Know), drew inspiration from a season of change, embracing the unknown and exploring the uncertainty that precedes transformation. Reyes’ collection, “Gettin’ Fly,” is a dialogue on modern survival and a critique of a broken system, playing on value, exploitation and capitalism.

Fashion designer Laurel Tiange Fang, founder of Laurel Blue, presented her collection, “Forms of Water,” a love letter to the ocean and an exploration of the relationship between human beings and the natural world. The Parsons graduate told Brooklyn Paper that she didn’t even know about the open call; her friend Ray submitted her application without her knowledge.

“He knew this existed, but he didn’t really want to let me down if I didn’t get selected, so he just [submitted my application], and he only told me after I got selected. I was like, ‘What is going on?’” Fang said, noting that the fashion show was a “fantastic” opportunity to get recognized. “Sometimes it can be very hard to get exposure for yourself. So I think Brooklyn has this platform to uplift emerging designers. I do feel very grateful, and I’m also like very happy that I’m part of it.”

Aina’s collection, “Legacy,” was inspired by her great-grandfather, President Sylvanus Olympio, Togo’s first president.

“I was inspired by how he not only thought about independence for the people of that country, but how he was also very good at striving for economic sovereignty from the French,” Aina said. “It really inspired me as his great-grandchild to be able to think about my own legacy.”

Colm Dillane, who also presented his fashion designs, told Brooklyn Paper that the brand had grown much bigger than he had anticipated, with one idea evolving into something bigger.

“I thought it’d be getting easier, and it’s not. It’s getting harder because our ideas get bigger, so maybe we’ve got to figure out how to streamline this,” Dillane said, noting that this year they added a surprise performance.

Fashionistas Busani and Bernard loved the concept of elevating designers who might not otherwise get the chance to present their collections to the world.

“I’m a photographer, so KidSuper inspires me with the art and creativity he brings. I flew all the way from Zimbabwe,” Busani told Brooklyn Paper. “This concept brings in people that will never have a chance outside of this; it gives room to everybody. It’s like a one-in-a-million chance [because] getting into fashion, it’s very difficult.”

Bernard shared that it was “wonderful” that the event was open to the public.

“The fashion industry is very inclusive. It’s very hard to get in; opening it up to the public definitely brings some excitement and definitely allows people to see the fashion world up close and firsthand,” he noted.

Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and CEO of BrooklynOrg, and Rick Davy, founder and CEO of Fashion Week Brooklyn, were looking forward to seeing what Brooklyn’s “amazing” talent had in store.

Rainey said the event reflected Brooklyn Org’s mission to ensure the entire community could enjoy what Brooklyn has to offer.

“I am so excited that this is in Brooklyn, and I love that it is for Brooklyn residents; it is so fabulous. Brooklyn deserves it,” Rainey said. “It is the most populated borough, and to see so many Brooklynites here enjoying this day and being part of Fashion Week, which has always traditionally been about Manhattan, is amazing to me, and is so aligned with the things that we think about at BrooklynOrg.”

“It’s good to be doing this again in Brooklyn during New York Fashion Week. You can’t get better than that,” Davy said. “We own Brooklyn, and we bring in a little bit of New York Fashion Week to Brooklyn.”

See it:

Denver, Dallas and Nashville rounded out the top five, according to Zillow.

A beloved bodega cat was snatched from his Brooklyn home by a pair of heartless thieves — prompting neighbors to spring into action to track him down, and his distraught owner to offering hundreds of dollars for the adorable kitten’s return. “I think the whole neighborhood is talking about it,” said one of the many…

Дневной снимок страницы «Новости Нью-Йорка от Нью-Йорк Таймс» за 14.09.2026. Вы можете посмотреть, как она выглядела в этот день: открыть копию за этот день.

Дневной снимок страницы «Новости Нью-Йорка amNewYork RU» за 14.09.2026. Вы можете посмотреть, как она выглядела в этот день: открыть копию за этот день.

Дневной снимок страницы «Новости CBS New York на русском» за 14.09.2026. Вы можете посмотреть, как она выглядела в этот день: открыть копию за этот день.

Дневной снимок страницы «NBC НЬЮ-ЙОРК СРОЧНЫЕ НОВОСТИ» за 14.09.2026. Вы можете посмотреть, как она выглядела в этот день: открыть копию за этот день.

Дневной снимок страницы «Новости Нью-Йорка ABC7» за 14.09.2026. Вы можете посмотреть, как она выглядела в этот день: открыть копию за этот день.