NYCHA Worker Leighton Brown Killed by Falling Tree at Cypress Hills Houses

Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee, died after a falling tree struck him Saturday afternoon at the Cypress Hills Houses in East New York, according to local news reports citing police (News 12). Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly identified Brown in a statement mourning his death (CBS New York).

Brown was walking through a parking lot at 700 Euclid Ave. when the tree fell, according to ABC7, which cited police sources. Police placed the incident at approximately 3:30 p.m., and Brown was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, CBS New York reported.

NYCHA confirmed Brown was an employee, according to NBC New York.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,” Housing Authority press secretary Michael Hogan told NBC New York.

Mamdani also offered condolences in a social media post quoted by CBS New York. “My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss,” the mayor wrote.

Residents remember Brown

Residents described Brown as a dependable presence at the development, with tenants telling CBS New York that he was a maintenance supervisor.

“He was a person that would come in without question and do his job, and he did his job very well,” tenant Kevin Duran told CBS New York.

James Alcivar, identified by NY1 as the tenant association president, described Brown as a longtime employee who helped residents with work needed in their homes. “If you had work that needed to be done in your house, he was the guy to call,” Alcivar told NY1.

Questions about the collapse

Council Member Chris Banks said in a statement posted to Instagram that the employee was struck “while working at the development” and called for examining whether necessary safety precautions had been taken.

“We must also fully examine the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and determine whether every necessary safety precaution was taken,” Banks said.

Banks said his office would work with NYCHA and appropriate city agencies to help the family receive assistance, information, and answers. He also pledged to work with family members, colleagues, residents, and NYCHA to identify a way to honor the employee’s life and service, without announcing a specific memorial.

The incident occurred during a nor’easter, but ABC7 reported that it was not known whether wind caused the tree to fall. Banks’s statement called for scrutiny of the circumstances but did not announce a formal investigation or findings about the cause.

Neighbors told News 12 that several trees had fallen at the development during the severe weather and that some trees there bore X markings they believed could indicate removal plans because of safety concerns. The station reported that it remained unclear whether the tree that struck Brown was among those marked.

Citywide, the Parks Department had received 1,273 service requests for damaged or fallen trees as of 9 a.m. Sunday, including 511 requests for downed trees, a department spokesman told the New York Daily News. Those figures represent reports rather than a verified count of individual trees, and the spokesman cautioned that many could be duplicates.