Deadly Nor'easter Kills One and Leaves 100,000 Powerless Across Northeast

A deadly nor'easter is hammering the East Coast, leaving at least one person dead, another missing, and multiple others injured by Sunday morning. More than 100,000 people across the Northeast face no power, a number that could climb as winds pick up to 65mph and rain pours down harder. Coastal flooding, snapped trees, downed lines, and fierce gusts hit New England late Friday night. Streets in parts of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Virginia turned into rivers overnight.

Airports across New York and New Jersey ground flights and cancelled trips on Sunday. More than 400 flights were halted just yesterday. The storm kept rolling through the region on Sunday morning, stranding people in high water, gale-force winds, and crashing surf. Waves swallowed homes in Scituate, Massachusetts, while a family trudged through knee-deep floodwaters in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Tragedy struck Brooklyn Saturday when Leighton Brown, 56 years old, died after an uprooted tree crushed him as he walked through a park. He worked for the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA. The agency confirmed his death. Another man vanished while swimming off Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island, Long Island. New York State Police say he was hit by 18-foot waves around 2:30pm Saturday and has not been seen since. Search crews pulled back due to darkness but plan to resume Sunday.

Four people got hurt after a tree fell at a Brooklyn playground. Victims included two children, aged one and seven, and two women, ages 40 and 41. Officials issued an immediate statement mourning the loss. James Alcivar, president of the NYCHA tenant association, recalled hearing a loud boom and sirens before he knew what happened. He told NY1 that Brown was exceptional at Cyprus Hills Development. 'He was one of the best employees that we had here,' Alcivar said. 'If you had work that needed to be done in your house, he was the guy to call. He comes here dedicated. As you can see, this tragic accident, he was doing what he loved.'

The NYCHA released its own statement Sunday. 'We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,' the agency said. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also posted on social media Saturday to honor Brown. 'My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss.'

Evacuations have launched in coastal towns across New Jersey and New York as Monday brings more storm impact. In Beach Haven, New Jersey, a harrowing photo showed a man pulling a paddle board while a young child stood atop it. Another person lay across the board holding straps for support. Atlantic City firefighters waded through water reaching their knees to rescue people stuck in the rising tide. The system will keep battering most of the region Monday as conditions remain dangerous.

He may rest in peace, but his service to our city will never be forgotten," Mamdani wrote.

Saturday brought incredible scenes as storm tides surged through Wildwood, New Jersey. Families walked waist-deep in water, carrying heavy backpacks and dragging luggage out of the deluge. One man strapped a dog onto a kayak to keep moving while another carried a child on his arm through the chaos. Another group lifted suitcases from the rising flood as they trudged forward.

Firefighters in Atlantic City waded through knee-deep water to rescue those trapped by the wind and rain. In Beach Haven, New Jersey, a harrowing sight emerged: a man pulled a paddle board through the surf while a young child stood atop it, another kid lying across holding onto straps for balance. This was no ordinary storm; the waters reached heights unseen since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A family-owned business on the Jersey Shore flooded for the first time in over a decade.

In Edgewater, New Jersey, residents boarded boats after floodwaters from the Hudson River swallowed entire parking lots. In Surf City, a man carried a young girl through surging currents as the nor'easter battered the coast. Kenny Formica, who runs Surf City Marina, told CNN that this weather system "has just been something else." He added with grim certainty, "Hurricane Sandy taught us that if the flooding is gonna happen, it's gonna happen. You can't stop it."

The disruption spread far beyond the shoreline. More than 450 flights vanished from Saturday's schedules due to the storm. Another 3,000 planes faced delays as crews scrambled to manage the mess. By Sunday, widespread snarls choked major hubs including LaGuardia Airport, JFK, and Boston Logan International Airport. Travelers stood in lines or watched their plans dissolve into uncertainty while the storm kept rolling inland.