Shark swims through flooded New Jersey streets as nor'easter kills Brooklyn worker and leaves swimmer missing

From the Newshound archive · first published 26 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee, died after a tree fell on him during an extra shift in East New York, Brooklyn, as a fierce nor'easter lashed the US East Coast on Monday with winds reaching 65mph. Power outages affecting more than 100,000 homes across the Northeast are forecast to climb higher, and a second man who disappeared while swimming off Fire Island, Long Island, remains missing.

A shark was spotted on video moving through flooded streets in New Jersey as coastal inundation swept through communities including Surf City and Manasquan.

New York and New Jersey have both declared states of emergency; upward of 400 flights have been grounded and 500 trees toppled in New York City alone.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on residents to stay off the roads and out of the streets, cautioning that conditions are set to deteriorate further before the storm passes.