19 homeless people die on streets from cold in Mamdani's NYC, 7 others in their homes

The death toll of New York City's cold snap outdoors has risen to 19 as socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has dismissed questions regarding seven other people who have died of hypothermia not out in the streets, but in their own homes.

“They did not die on city property, so we are not releasing,” a spokesman for Mamdani said when the New York Post asked for details about the recent indoor deaths attributed to hypothermia. “People die in their homes all the time," the mayor's office added.

Mamdani's office also confirmed that there have been 19 people found dead out in the cold amid a cold snap that hit the Big Apple in the last few weeks. The 19th victim was found on Tuesday under the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown.

There has been mounting criticism of Mamdani over the last few weeks. With the cold snap, he has refused to clear homeless encampments off the street, saying that forcing those out on the street into shelters would be a "last resort." He has also been slammed over the lack of trash and snow removal in the city after a winter storm dumped the precipitation a few weeks ago.

Officials at City Hall revealed the deaths of the seven others who have died in their homes only recently, after the city declared a "Code Blue" on January 19, warning that there were extreme cold temperatures.

After the medical examiner determined that the seven deaths were caused by hypothermia, city officials have not released identifiable information such as addresses or names of the victims. Those seven have also remained outside the official tally for deaths attributed to the cold snap. According to CBS News, only 10 to 20 people die from hypothermia in the Big Apple each year. For there to be 19 within the span of a month is atypical.