QUEENS, New York — An 86-year-old man went into Forest Park on Saturday evening and never made it out.
When a violent storm tore through New York City, a tree along a trail in Queens’ Forest Park came crashing down — and it landed directly on Zenon Reynarowyzh.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. It was around 8:30 p.m.
Police identified the victim as a Queens resident. What brought him to the park that evening remains unknown.
A Storm That Shook the Entire City
The system that moved through the New York-New Jersey region Saturday night was not a minor weather event.
It brought damaging winds, heavy rain, and hail — and it left a trail of destruction across all five boroughs.
By 10 p.m., the New York City Parks Department had already received 259 reports of downed trees across the city.
Two hundred and fifty-nine.
In just a few hours.
Trees Down From Brooklyn to the Bronx
The damage was widespread and hit neighborhoods hard.
In Fresh Meadows, a tree crashed directly onto an apartment building. Four units had to be evacuated as a precaution. Thankfully, no one was injured.
In Maspeth, another tree came down onto a home.
On the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Woodside, a falling tree landed on the roadway — and possibly on a vehicle — causing backups in both directions. No immediate word came on injuries there.
Trees also crushed cars in parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn, turning ordinary Saturday night streets into scenes no one expected.
Thousands Left in the Dark
The storm knocked out power for thousands of customers across New York and New Jersey.
Con Edison worked through the night to restore service. By 11 p.m. Sunday, the utility had brought power back to around 14,000 customers — but nearly 1,800 remained without electricity.
Con Ed identified Westchester and Queens as the hardest-hit areas. The utility said roughly 95 percent of Westchester customers should have power restored, with most of Queens expected to be back online by 7 p.m. Monday.
Customers across the region can track outages through their utility providers directly.
A Reminder of How Fast Things Can Change
Zenon Reynarowyzh was 86 years old, out on what should have been an ordinary evening in a neighborhood park.
One storm. One tree. And a family now grieving a loss no one saw coming.
City officials have not yet commented on whether the tree that fell showed prior signs of damage or disease — a question that often follows tragedies like this one.
As cleanup crews work to clear downed trees and crews race to restore power, the storm’s most devastating mark on this city is the one it left in Forest Park.
Have you or someone you know been affected by this storm — a downed tree, property damage, or a power outage that is still not resolved? Share what you experienced in the comments below.
