13 Freeze to Death on NYC’s Subway Amid Historic Cold Snap

Hypothermia Claims 13 Lives in New York’s Deep Freeze Crisis.

New York City has faced a tragic surge in subway-related freezing deaths from cold temperatures during the ongoing extreme cold snap in early 2026, with at least several victims discovered in the transit system amid sub-freezing conditions that have claimed dozens of lives overall.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani reported that hypothermia played a key role in most of these fatalities, including cases on subway platforms and trains, as unsheltered individuals sought refuge underground from wind chills dipping well below zero.

For instance, bodies were found on a subway platform at 25th Street Station, on a Q train at 92nd Street Station, and in related transit areas like the Port Authority Bus Terminal, highlighting how the subway—often a last-resort shelter—fails to provide adequate warmth against prolonged arctic blasts that have persisted for weeks.

These “subdeath” incidents—deaths by exposure in subterranean public spaces—underscore the vulnerability of homeless New Yorkers, many of whom avoid traditional shelters due to personal circumstances, mental health issues, or prior negative experiences, leading them to huddle in stations or ride trains endlessly for meager protection from the elements. Despite the city’s Code Blue emergency protocols, enhanced outreach efforts, and warming centers, the death toll has climbed rapidly, with reports of additional fatalities on subway trains as recently as February 9, 2026, prompting criticism of shelter policies and calls for better prevention. The crisis reveals deep systemic gaps in addressing homelessness during lethal weather, where the underground network becomes both a refuge and, tragically, a site of silent, freezing demise.