NYC Helicopter Accident, NYPD Launches Quality Of Life Division, 3,700 New Teachers, 2 Million Meals To Veterans, Minimum Pay App-Based Drivers, Traffic Deaths Historic Low: Mayor Adams
Editor’s note: Last week, news of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, where the chopper broke apart in mid-air before colliding with the water, gripped the city. The loss of five tourists, three of them children, was an unspeakable tragedy. The Mayor met with the Spanish Consul General a few days after, who is the brother of one of the family members on the helicopter. The investigation is still ongoing at this time. Last week’s mayor’s rundown detailed the success of the Axe the Tax for the Working Class legislative effort, along with removal of scaffolding sheds, return of Major League Baseball, and the availability of free swim lessons for New York’s youth.
NTSB is asking for anyone who witnessed the accident or who has video footage of the crash to contact them: The NTSB continues to ask witnesses to the crash who may have video or photos of any aspect of the accident sequence or have information that could be relevant to the investigation to email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS ADDRESSES MEDIA WITH SPANISH CONSUL GENERAL DE BLAS MAYORDOMO AND FAMILY MEMBER OF FIVE VICTIMS OF HUDSON RIVER HELICOPTER CRASH
Mayor Eric Adams: Today, as he deals with this awful tragedy, losing his sister, her husband, and [their] children as well. We just dropped flowers today as a symbolic gesture for the loss of life. What should have been a joyful vacation turned into an unimaginable tragedy.
We mourn the loss of Agustín, Mercè, and their three beautiful children, Víctor, Mercedes, and Agustín. Our hearts are broken. On behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers, I want to say to the family members and to the wider Spanish community that we are here with you, and this symbolic gesture is our way of knowing and acknowledging that our words cannot bring back their family members, but it is our way of saying as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief, and their grief is our grief. Their sorrow is our sorrow.
New York City is a family, and we consider this is a loss of our family members with unspeakable pain and suffering. We also want to acknowledge, and we dropped flowers for Sean Johnson, the pilot. He was a Navy SEAL. He fought to defend this country, and we want to acknowledge him and his wife, Kathryn, for her loss, and our prayers are with all of the family members involved, and no words can fill the void, the loss. We know that.
We can cooperate and collaborate together to ensure that this family and the families involved and loved ones receive the support from the city. We want to thank the NYPD, the FDNY, our partners in New Jersey who collaborated with us to make sure that the bodies were retrieved to bring some level of closure to the families, and I want to be clear. Everyone should respect the family’s desire to mourn in peace and to address and deal with the situation that they’re facing.
Lastly, I want to again express my gratitude to the rescuers for what they have done. May God bless the victims during this tragedy and may God bless the families. I want to turn it over to the brother, Joan, to speak at this time.
Joan Camprubí Montal: Good afternoon, everyone. This is a really difficult situation, but we are overwhelmed with the massive condolences we received, and this is probably because the Escobar-Camprubí family was a really loved family, so thank you for that, to all of you.
Second, I want to understand that they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that’s important for us. As a family, we want to remind and honor their happiness and their smile forever, and you can imagine we are trying to assimilate all the situation.
We want to move the bodies as soon as possible home, back home with all the family to rest in peace together in our place, but also we want to thank all the institutional support that we received, starting from Spain, from also Catalonia, from [the] U.S., New York, New Jersey. Everybody has been supporting us, and especially also Siemens, as [the] company where Mercè and Agustin were working, has supported also a lot during this process.
And taking advantage that there is also Spanish media, I want to say that…
[Agus,] Mercè, [Agus Jr.], [Merce Jr.], Víctor, siempre estaréis con nosotros y en nuestros corazones [Speaks in Catalan]. Nunca os olvidaremos y vamos a mantener vuestra sonrisa viva cada día en nuestras vidas, y eso creo que es el mejor legado que os podemos dar. Gracias.
Translation: [Agus,] Mercè, [Agus Jr.], [Merce Jr.], Víctor, you will always be with us and in our hearts. [Speaks in Catalan.] We will never forget and we will keep your smile alive every day in our lives, and I think that is the best legacy we can give you. Thank you.
TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS APPEARS LIVE ON PIX 11’S “PIX 11 MORNING NEWS”
Dan Mannarino: Welcome back, everybody. We are continuing our coverage of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of six people, including three children, on the Hudson River.
Kala Rama: The crash involved a Bell 206 helicopter operated by a local tour company and has left both the city and a family overseas devastated. As investigators work to determine what caused the crash, city leaders are facing growing questions about the safety of tourist helicopter operations in our skies.
Mannarino: Joining us now live is New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker. It’s great to have both of you here on such an important morning. And obviously our hearts go out to the family here and the pilot’s family as well.
And I want to ask you first and foremost about the details of what went wrong. I know the NTSB is leading the charge here, but are there any further developments on what exactly went wrong in the moments before this crash?
Mayor Eric Adams: Not of our knowledge. And as you indicated, the NTSB, they are leading this investigation and they are good at what they do. They are going to look at every aspect of it, maintenance records, pilot’s records, what happens with mechanics here, the helicopters out of the water. They will conduct this investigation.
Our role is to give a supporting role. Our first respondents, what video is there to assist in this investigation.
Rama: There are so many thoughts floating around of what happened right before this crash. Rumors of the pilot saying he had to refuel. Do we know of any technical difficulties before this crash that you can confirm this morning?
Mayor Adams: No. And you always have, you know, you’ll have something like this that when something of this magnitude happens where you lose six individuals, there’s so much, so many rumors, so many miscommunications.
That’s why it’s so important to allow the investigators to do their job. They know how to handle this. And our role is to make sure that safety is paramount. And whenever we have air travel, that it is done according to all the rules and regulations and the maintenance of these instruments and flying instruments that we use in our cities.
Mannarino: You know, there’s been this talk now, and it’s not new talk, Mr. Mayor. You know this. This renewed interest once again, and should these flights be over the Hudson in the first place, these tourism helicopters, so on and so forth, and if it’s too crowded of an airspace, is there something in your view that should be done to make these safer?
Mayor Adams: Well, think about this for a moment, Dan. We had over 30,000 flights from that place of origin, a downtown heliport, 30,000. When you do an analysis of talking about safety modes of transportation, of having 30,000 flights without an incident, it’s an indicator that we ensure that these devices are inspected, that the pilots have rigorous training, and it is part of our transportation ecosystem and financial ecosystem.
65 million tourists came to the city last year. Seeing our city from the skyline is one of the attractions. What we must focus on is safety, and that’s what I believe the fire commissioner trained his personnel so they can respond appropriately to incidents like this.
Mannarino: Yeah, and fire commissioner, I want to get your take on that response yesterday, because it was quick and it was swift, but can you talk about what exactly those first responders were up against, right? There was some rain, there were some tide issues along the Hudson River as well, but they still were able to get there very, very quickly, and were just devastated that they couldn’t do more. Can you talk to us a little bit about that?
Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker: Sure. I mean, you know, the FDNY is an all-hazards public safety agency. We train for all types of occurrences. Yesterday is something that we have training for. We train routinely, alone and with our partners at the NYPD, and our partners on the other side of the Hudson River.
We have a fire boathouse almost directly across from where this incident took place. We were able to launch our boats very quickly. There were numerous calls that a helicopter had crashed. We were in the water very quickly to begin to make rescues.
We brought those victims onto the Jersey side. The Jersey City Fire Department was there to assist us, and the PD was there very quickly with a lot of support, and we were working in a well-choreographed but trained event that we know and are used to.
Mannarino: With being sensitive to the loss of life here, was everybody still in that helicopter?
Fire Commissioner Tucker: You know, the answer is that when we arrived, the helicopter was still on the surface but turned over, and it was not hard to get to once we arrived there. The weather was terrible. There were some tide issues, but the fact is that when we got close to the helicopter, we were able to begin rescue operations almost immediately.
Rama: Can you confirm that there was any kind of pilot communication before the pilot started to break apart midair?
Fire Commissioner Tucker: I’m going to let the federal authorities, particularly the NTSB, comment on all of that. Suffice it to say that we are here to support our federal partners in figuring out exactly how this tragedy occurred.
Mannarino: Mr. Mayor, I know you were talking about making sure that all these things are safe, right? And that is what this family kind of thought when they came here from Spain.
Can you talk to us a little bit about more of the human component here and the element of what you know about this family that was here? We’re reading reports this morning that they were here for the birthday of one of their children. What can you tell us about the family?
Mayor Adams: Well, I think that any of us who are parents, you know, that we want to protect our children and to hear that this family lost not only a husband and wife, but children as well, and as well as the pilot, it’s impactful. And it’s not only impactful to those who are here locally, but even internationally.
I spoke with the counsel general yesterday to show the support, and it’s also traumatic for those first responders to be there to see the bodies removed from the water, to see children involved. And they just don’t go, that’s not the end of their day. They have other responses that they must do.
So this is a traumatic moment for the city. And I saw with the ferry service helping out, everyday New York is helping out. We come together during these moments, and I think that that is what’s great about the people of this city.
Mannarino: Mr. Mayor, fire commissioner, I appreciate your time this morning to update New Yorkers on exactly what’s playing out, and I’m sure that the safety component, Mr. Mayor, that you touched upon is going to be talked about in quite some time in the future, and some tighter regulations here. But I appreciate you both.
Mayor Adams: Thank you.
MAYOR ADAMS, NYPD COMMISSIONER TISCH LAUNCH NEW QUALITY OF LIFE DIVISION TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMMUNITY TRUST
New Initiative Aims to Strengthen Public Confidence by Addressing Everyday Concerns Swiftly
Pilot Program to Begin in Five Precincts and One Housing Police Service Area
Division to Combine Police Officers from Existing Community-Based Units
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced the formation of the NYPD’s new Quality of Life Division — a citywide public safety initiative focused on enhancing trust between communities and the police while addressing everyday issues that impact New Yorkers’ sense of safety and well-being.
The Quality of Life Division will unite specially-trained officers from various existing community-oriented roles — including neighborhood coordination officers, youth coordination officers, and traffic safety officers — into a citywide effort to tackle persistent quality-of-life concerns. Non-emergency 311 concerns, such as noise complaints, illegal parking, homelessness-related issues, outdoor drug use, aggressive panhandling, and other issues that affect New Yorkers’ everyday life, have risen steadily across the five boroughs over the last six years. The Quality of Life Division is the NYPD’s latest effort to respond urgently to these problems, ensuring every concerned New Yorker feels seen, heard, and — most importantly — safe.
“Since day one, this administration has been clear: We will not tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes, and today, we are taking public safety to the next level with the creation of a new NYPD Quality of Life Division,” said Mayor Adams. “Issues like illegal vending, substance use, abandoned vehicles, illegal mopeds, reckless driving, and more have persisted for far too long. We will not rest until we have addressed the issues that affect the lives of everyday New Yorkers, and we will continue to make every borough, every neighborhood, and every block safer across our city. Together, we will protect public safety and make New York City the best place to raise a family.”
“Thanks to the incredible work of the women and men in blue, we’ve seen historic declines in major crimes across the city,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Now, we’re turning our attention toward the issues that New Yorkers see and feel every day — the things that don’t always make headlines but deeply impact how people live. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe, and the Quality of Life Division will take a direct approach to address these issues impacting our streets and public housing developments. I am thankful for Mayor Adams’ support as we take the necessary steps to strengthen the trust between our officers and the communities they serve.”
The Quality of Life Division will roll out in phases, beginning with a pilot program in five precincts and one housing Police Service Area: the 13th, 40th, 60th, 75th, and 101st precincts, along with Police Service Area 1. Over the next two months, the initiative will be evaluated and refined before expanding to other commands.
The Quality of Life Division will be led by Deputy Chief William Glynn. Glynn — a 21-year veteran of the NYPD who has served in various leadership roles in multiple boroughs — will take the helm of the department’s newest division to help reduce crime and improve quality of life in each of the patrol boroughs. While previously assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau, Deputy Chief Glynn oversaw the creation of Community Link, an Adams administration multi-agency response led by City Hall addressing quality-of-life issues, and was assigned to lead the joint effort to restore order to the Roosevelt Avenue corridor in Queens North. In his new position, Deputy Chief Glynn will manage analytic and administrative support, and coordinate with Quality of Life Teams — or Q-Teams — which will operate on multiple levels.
- Citywide Personnel: Personnel assigned to the Quality of Life Division will support borough and precinct efforts with certain quality-of-life issues that require specific attention, such as vehicle towing and encampments.
- Analytics and Support Unit: Responsible for monitoring data trends, including 311 complaints and operational support.
- Command-Level Q-Teams: Integrated into individual commands to improve police response to quality-of-life complaints. These teams will be led by a Quality of Life Division sergeant, reporting directly to the command’s special operations lieutenant, and operating under the direction of precinct commanding officers.
Using a model based on the NYPD’s main crime data tracker, CompStat, a new system called Q-Stat will analyze precinct and public service area data related to 311 service requests. Q-Stat meetings will be held monthly — like CompStat meetings, beginning in May — and will aim to identify neighborhoods susceptible to chronic quality-of-life conditions. They will also explore non-enforcement, discretionary solutions for Q-Teams, local leaders, and residents.
There will be no extra cost associated with the formation of the Quality of Life Division. Personnel will come from internal restructuring at the NYPD to enhance operational efficiency and better align daily with the needs of local communities, and existing funding from the NYPD’s budget will be utilized to save taxpayer dollars.
Q-Team officers will undergo additional training beyond what they received in their previous roles, including strategies and techniques on how best to address quality-of-life problems and new departmental expectations. The training module includes a detailed overview of the current structure of the division, as well as instruction on the use of the 311 system. Officers will also receive training on specific topics, such as encampments, derelict vehicles, traffic conditions, enforcement of alternative vehicles, reckless driving, and the use of sound metering devices regarding noise complaints.
New York City’s 311 system, NYC311, is a non-emergency call center and service platform that allows New Yorkers to report non-emergency issues, request services, and get helpful information about city services and programs. Currently, police officers assigned to patrol sectors are tasked with responding to a range of public-safety issues, prioritizing emergency 911 calls over NYC311 service requests. The Quality of Life Division will work alongside patrol sectors and Community Affairs Bureau personnel, allowing precincts and public service areas to directly deploy resources to specific needs within their communities, further supporting a more localized approach.
“I applaud Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Tisch for the launch of the new NYPD Quality of Life Division,” said New York State Assemblymember Nikki Lucas. “Communities across our City deserve to have quality of life issues prioritized, while leaving a positive impact in neighborhoods where trust for NYPD has been diminished.”
“Quality-of-life issues, when left unaddressed, can erode public confidence and fuel a sense of disorder,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “I commend Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch for launching this new division, which brings together officers already working closely with our communities to respond more effectively and respectfully to the concerns that matter most to New Yorkers. This thoughtful approach has the potential to strengthen public trust and promote safety in every neighborhood.”
“Community well-being and New Yorkers’ quality of life are important elements of public safety,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. “We look forward to continuing to work with the NYPD on our shared missions.”
“All New Yorkers have a fundamental right to feel safe in their homes and on the streets of our city,” said New York City Councilmember Keith Powers. “Data has shown that quality-of-life issues have risen over the last few years. The formation of the NYPD’s new Quality of Life Division will decrease response times and allow everyday New Yorkers to know that their non-emergency needs are being handled with expediency.”
“The NYPD’s new Quality of Life Division will be a partner in making sure we are addressing the persistent, everyday issues our neighbors care about most,” said New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan. “Coney Island’s inclusion in the pilot rollout is going to be a big deal – in a neighborhood where we’ve too often been left without the resources we need, and this program will offer a go-to team to address neighborhood conditions with the care and specificity we deserve. I look forward to working with both neighbors and the NYPD to make sure this program is a rolled out in a way that makes life better for everyone who calls Coney Island home, even when it’s not beach weather.”
In case of an emergency, please locate a police officer, head to the nearest police facility, or dial 911.
MAYOR ADAMS AND CHANCELLOR AVILES-RAMOS ANNOUNCE HIRING OVER 3,700 NEW TEACHERS AT NEARLY 750 SCHOOLS AS PART OF UPCOMING MAYORAL EXECUTIVE BUDGET
Announcement Builds on Mayor Adams’ Record of Investments in New York City Public Schools, Including Additional Funds for Implementation of Class Size Law
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos today announced that nearly 750 schools, as part of Mayor Adams’ Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget, will be given the authority to support the hiring of over 3,700 teachers across the public school system to reduce class sizes. Following a careful joint review of hundreds of schools’ proposed plans by New York City Public Schools, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), this investment supports increased compliance with the class size law for the 2025-2026 school year, utilizing a school-driven framework for class size reduction.
“A reduced class size is one of the best ways to help our students learn and for young people to thrive, and today, we are taking yet another step toward making New York City the best place on the globe to raise a family,” said Mayor Adams. “By investing in the hiring of 3,700 additional teachers at 750 public schools across the five boroughs for the 2025-2026 school year, we will help give our schools the ability to create smaller, more nurturing classrooms where all our students can excel and be provided more individualized care. Let me do the math: we have 750 schools over five boroughs with 3,700 additional teachers — equaling incredible benefits for New York City public school students. We look forward to continuing to work with our union partners to implement our plan, maintain compliance with class size regulations, and further enhance learning environments across the city.”
“Today’s announcement is a demonstration of genuine collaboration with our union partners and represents a commitment to listening to our schools,” said Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. “We are so proud to be making this new investment in our schools, supporting 750 of them to lower their class sizes for their students, all done in a way that’s driven by our school leaders and school communities.”
“What seemed impossible has become possible because of the sheer determination of educators and parents,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “We are taking a huge step towards lowering class sizes for all our students.”
“School leaders deeply understand the impact that smaller class sizes can have on student learning and engagement. We applaud our principals and their school leadership teams for the diligent work that will allow our system to meet the new class size thresholds by September,” said CSA President Henry D. Rubio. “We commend and thank Mayor Adams for this meaningful investment. Time and again, the mayor, the chancellor, and their teams have supported school leaders with the resources they need — whether replacing expiring federal funds, holding schools harmless for enrollment losses, or negotiating a fair contract that honors the vital role of school leaders. Our principals are committed to implementing these plans with care and integrity in service of students, and we look forward to our continuing collaboration to meet class size targets next year and beyond.”
Schools had the choice to submit individual class size reduction plans — first announced in the fall of 2024 — for the 2025-2026 school year under a framework created by New York City Public Schools. Plans were developed at the school level, in consultation with school leadership teams, allowing for a school-driven approach to driving system-wide change. This initiative follows on the previous community engagement work done by New York City Public Schools on this issue, including the facilitation of the class size working group in 2023, which produced a series of recommendations on implementation of the law.
This notification to principals comes in advance of distribution of Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget allocations to allow additional time to support principals in hiring teachers and appropriately planning for the 2025-2026 school year. Initial budget allocations, including dollars for class size reduction, will be shared with schools later in the spring as is standard process.
This initiative for class size reduction will help schools bring additional classes below the new state-mandated class size caps and support New York City Public Schools in its efforts to meet compliance with the class size law next school year. New York City Public Schools has already hired an additional 1,000 new teachers for this current school year, and today’s announcement builds on that investment and, once again, shows Mayor Adams’ commitment to investing in New York City families.
Today’s announcement also builds on the Adams administration’s record investments in New York City Public Schools. In Fiscal Year 2025, the city invested over $600 million to protect programs that were previously only temporarily funded with federal stimulus dollars, including $10 million for teacher recruitment efforts that were critical to meeting state-mandated class size legislation standards. Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, the administration invested nearly $1 billion for major five-year teacher, principal, and staff pay increases in October 2023.
MAYOR ADAMS AND VETERANS’ SERVICES COMMISSIONER HENDON ANNOUNCE 2 MILLION MEAL MILESTONE THROUGH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW YORK STATE AND HELLOFRESH
Department of Veterans’ Services Has Played a Key Role in Distributing Free Meals from HelloFresh to Hundreds of Veterans Across City Over Last Five Years
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner James Hendon today announced a milestone of the “Meals with Meaning: Veterans Feeding Veterans” initiative, with the distribution of more than 2 million meals to New York City veterans since the program began five years ago. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of HelloFresh, this effort has effectively addressed food insecurity among veterans and miliary service members by providing them with free healthy meal options. First initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative has grown into a robust public-private partnership between the Department of Veterans’ Services, the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Cazar Logistics, The Campaign Against Hunger, Pratt Industries, Black Veterans for Social Justice, and other local nonprofit partners. The Department of Veterans’ Services plays a key operational role in supporting the program by coordinating food distribution logistics across several partner organizations to ensure the timely delivery of meals throughout the community.
“I know what it’s like to grow up in a household where every meal mattered. My mother made miracles happen with limited resources, just like many veteran families are doing today,” said Mayor Adams. “That’s why this initiative means so much to me. With ‘Meals with Meaning: Veterans Feeding Veterans,’ we’re not just delivering food — we’re delivering dignity, stability, and care to those who put everything on the line for this country. Two million meals is no small thing — it’s a promise kept to those who have and continue to sacrifice so much for our freedoms as Americans and New Yorkers.”
“Our agency is proud to support this exceptional effort, which puts fresh food on the tables of our military and veteran families in need,” said Veterans’ Services Commissioner Hendon. There is no community more deserving of this vital resource, and the Department of Veterans’ Services is proud to remain a steadfast partner in this strategic cross-sector collaboration. Together, the city, state, and numerous partners have worked tirelessly to sustain this impactful initiative, all thanks to the profound generosity of HelloFresh. Today, we celebrate a monumental milestone that serves a testament to the power of strategic collaboration — the distribution of our 2-millionth meal. The Department of Veterans’ Services looks forward to remaining a key partner in this initiative as we continue to ensure veterans have access to healthy, nourishing meals.”
“Behind every one of these two million meals is a Veteran or Military Family who knows they are not forgotten. Meals with Meaning is about more than nutrition — it is about community, compassion, and making a positive difference for our Veterans,” said Viviana DeCohen, commissioner, New York State Department of Veterans’ Services. “This program shows what is possible when we work together across sectors to honor service through support. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, HelloFresh, our city partners, and the community organizations that have made the realization of this incredible milestone possible.”
“At HelloFresh, we believe everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious meals — especially those who’ve served our country. This milestone reflects what’s possible when strong partnerships take root,” said Jacob Krempel, senior vice president of procurement, HelloFresh. “Working with the Department of Veterans’ Services, The Campaign Against Hunger, and community organizations, we’re proud to help deliver real support to veterans and military families across the city.”
“Reaching the 2 million milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration and purpose,” said Rudy Cazres, CEO, Cazar Logistics. “Through our partnership with HelloFresh, the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services, Amazon Local Good, and The Campaign Against Hinger, Cazar Logistics has been honored to help deliver fresh meals and hope to communities across New York City.”
Veterans and military families face food insecurity at twice the rate of the general public, making this program all the more crucial by providing a resource for those who bravely served the country. Proper nutrition helps veterans maintain a healthy lifestyle, recover from the challenges of military life, and reintegrate into civilian society with greater ease.
Every week in East New York, Brooklyn, volunteers from across the city pack and assemble 2,000 HelloFresh meal kits at The Campaign Against Hunger warehouse through the operational assistance of the Department of Veterans’ Services. HelloFresh has generously committed to funding the program through 2025, ensuring continued support for the New York City veteran community. The Department of Veterans’ Services looks forward to remaining a crucial operating partner for the full duration of this programmatic effort.
The Department of Veterans’ Services’ mission is to connect, mobilize, and empower New York City’s veteran community to foster purpose-driven lives for U.S. military service members — past and present — in addition to their caregivers, survivors, and families. The department assists New York City’s veteran community members on issues that include, but are not limited to employment, housing, food security, wellbeing, benefits, culture, and targeted advocacy. For more information about the Department of Veterans’ Services, New Yorkers can visit the Department of Veterans’ Services’ website, call (212) 416-5250, email connect@veterans.nyc.gov
MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES FULL MINIMUM PAY RATE FOR APP-BASED RESTAURANT DELIVERY WORKERS IS NOW IN EFFECT
Minimum Hourly Rate is Now $21.44 and Will Continue to Be Adjusted Annually for Inflation
Minimum Pay Rate Has Returned Over $700 Million to More Than 60,000 Delivery Workers Since Introduction in 2023
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga today announced that the city’s minimum pay rate for app-based restaurant delivery workers has increased to $21.44 per hour before tips following a phase in of the pay rate. The $21.44 rate reflects both the final phase in of the minimum pay rate for app-based delivery workers, which was set to increase to $19.96, as well as an additional inflation adjustment of 7.41 percent. The Adams administration initially set a first-of-its-kind minimum pay rate for app-based restaurant delivery workers in June 2023, which gradually phased in; today’s increase to $21.44 marks the final phase of increases. The rate provides parity with the state’s minimum wage, accounts for the benefits delivery workers lack access to, and covers the cost of some equipment. Before the minimum pay rate, workers made an average of just $5.39 per hour before tips. Since DCWP began enforcing the minimum pay rate in December 2023, apps have paid restaurant delivery workers an additional $700 million in wages.
“Our administration works every day to help put money back into New Yorkers’ pockets, and that includes our city’s delivery workers,” said Mayor Adams. “Our first-in-the-nation minimum pay rate is doing exactly that, giving hundreds of millions of dollars back to deliver workers who drive at all hours of the day and through all types of weather to get New Yorkers the food and goods they need. We are proud to have not only spearheaded this groundbreaking policy, but to have made life easier for delivery workers and their families all across the five boroughs.”
“Providing a stable and predictable minimum pay rate for some of our hardest working New Yorkers has been one of the highlights of our administration’s agenda for working people. Thank you to Commissioner Mayuga and the entire team at DCWP for their work in setting and now fully implementing this minimum pay rate,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “I also want to extend my gratitude to the partners and advocates who have helped us get to this moment — through our collective efforts, we have already helped our app-based delivery worker community secure over $700 million in additional wages, and there’s nowhere to go but up.”
“Delivery workers, like all workers, deserve to be paid fair wages for their labor,” said DCWP Commissioner Mayuga. “The pay rate has been a success, increasing pay for hard-working New Yorkers and keeping restaurant delivery profitable for the apps that rely on these workers. Thank you to the tens of thousands of delivery workers and advocates who fought hard to make this a reality.”
In September 2021, the New York City Council passed Local Law 115, requiring DCWP to study the pay and working conditions of app-based restaurant delivery workers and to establish a minimum pay rate for their work based on the study results. DCWP published its study in 2022, drawing on data from restaurant delivery apps, surveys of delivery workers and restaurants, testimony, extensive discussions with stakeholders on all sides, and publicly available data.
In June 2023, DCWP announced the final minimum pay rule, effective July 12, 2023, following a monthslong rulemaking process that included two public hearings and thousands of public comments. In early July, the major delivery apps sued the city, seeking to stop the minimum pay rate from taking effect. In September 2023, the New York state Supreme Court ruled in the city’s favor, allowing enforcement of the minimum pay rate of $17.96 to begin. The apps appealed the State Supreme Court’s ruling, and in late November, the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department denied the appeals, paving the way for DCWP to finally begin enforcing the minimum pay rate.
This minimum pay rate is just one part of the city’s holistic approach to improving working conditions for delivery workers. In February 2024, Mayor Adams and the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) announced five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city’s six-month pilot program to give delivery workers a safe place to charge lithium-ion batteries. Following the success of the pilot, DOT outlined next steps to keep delivery works safe, including a public e-bike charging program at approximately 173 New York City Housing Authority locations. The Adams administration has also launched a program for the first-of-its-kind street Deliveristas Hubs, utilizing existing infrastructure to provide a place for workers to rest and recharge. Mayor Adams’ “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan” helped cut lithium-ion battery fire deaths by 72 percent since its introduction in 2023.
Delivery Workers can visit DCWP’s Third-Party Food Delivery Services page or call 311 and say “delivery worker,” to learn more about the minimum pay rate. Workers can also submit questions or file complaints related to the minimum pay rate or other delivery worker laws in multiple languages online or by contacting 311.
“Our 60,000-plus deliveristas make New York City run. At any time and in all weather, they are out in the streets bringing us whatever we need. They are overwhelmingly immigrants working day and night to achieve the American Dream,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Just as they deliver for us, we will deliver for them. I am proud of my work in Albany to protect their safety, authoring Priscilla’s Law to provide e-bike license plates, and the Safe Delivery Act to prohibit delivery app algorithms from encouraging dangerous e-bike use. Today we celebrate the first-of-its-kind minimum hourly pay rate rising to $21.44 – about four times more than deliveristas were earning before tips. The minimum hourly pay has uplifted tens of thousands of workers, putting almost $1 billion in their pockets so they can stand on their own two feet. Together, we will fight for the welfare, safety, and dignity of all our hard-working deliveristas.”
“The 2025 pay increase for app-based delivery workers represents yet another important milestone in formally recognizing the enormous contribution that these essential workers make to New York City and is itself an essential contribution to professionalizing their workforce and ensuring their dignity, power, and respect,” said Ligia Guallpa, executive director, Worker’s Justice Project; co-founder, Los Deliveristas Unidos. “The minimum pay requirement provides a fair wage and real material benefits for struggling workers who have to pay all their own operating costs and benefits in one of the most dangerous occupations in the city, while allowing the app delivery industry to continue its meteoric growth in New York. It provides deliveristas with the power to collectively hold their employers accountable and a first-in-the nation, historic model for how empowering workers can improve the on-demand industry. We are grateful to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for taking this historic stand with New York’s deliveristas and for holding the app companies accountable for making this industry fairer, more organized, and more just.”
“Delivery workers have long been essential to New York City while being grossly underpaid and subjected to long hours in dangerous working conditions,” said Elizabeth Jordan, co-legal director, Make the Road NY. “We applaud the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection on their leadership to guarantee delivery workers in New York City a minimum pay rate and other basic protections and standing strong against the multi-billion dollar app companies who for years have fought to keep their exploitative model in place.”
“We thank Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga and her team from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for their steadfast commitment to uplifting app-based restaurant delivery workers,” said Yesenia Mata, executive director, La Colmena. “At La Colmena, we believe all workers — regardless of immigration status — deserve a fair, living wage for their labor. This increase to $21.44 an hour is a monumental step toward economic dignity for thousands of workers. We are proud to stand behind this effort and continue advocating until every worker in New York City is treated with the respect and fairness they deserve.”
MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES TRAFFIC DEATHS REACH HISTORIC LOW DURING FIRST QUARTER OF 2025, ADDITIONAL WORK TO BE DONE TO KEEP NEW YORKERS SAFE
Steep Declines in Fatalities Among Pedestrians, Cyclists, Motorized Two-Wheeler Operators, and Motor Vehicle Occupants Mark Encouraging Start to Year, Underscore Success of Vision Zero Street Safety Efforts
Traffic Injuries Also Declined for All Groups
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced that traffic deaths in New York City reached historic lows during the first quarter of 2025. An across-the-board decline in deaths of pedestrians, cyclists, operators of motorized two-wheelers, and motor vehicle occupants underscores the success of “Vision Zero” and the importance of street safety work advanced under the Adams administration. There were 41 traffic deaths during the first three months of 2025 — 24 fewer than last year and the second fewest of any year in recorded history (there were 40 to start 2018). The first quarter of 2025 also saw a sharp decline in injuries among pedestrians, cyclists, motorized two-wheeler operators, and motor vehicle occupants. Despite these achievements, Mayor Adams and the administration continued to recognize that there is more work to do keep all New Yorkers safe on New York City streets, as evidenced by this past weekend’s deadly crash that took the lives of three individuals, including two children, and left a third child fighting for his life in the hospital.
“In order to make New York City the best place to raise a family, we need to be safer at every level — including on our streets,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration’s investments in intersection safety improvements, treating traffic violence as the serious crime that it is, and our expanding automated camera enforcement are all helping ensure we’re leading the way toward a safer future for all New Yorkers — whether they are pedestrians, cyclists, or motorists. We understand there is more work to do, as evidenced this past weekend’s tragic crash in Brooklyn because one lift lost to traffic violence is one life too many, but our administration remains committed to reducing traffic violence as much as any other form of violence.”
“Every New Yorker deserves safe streets, and thanks to historic investments in better street designs, expanded educational efforts, and focused traffic enforcement, our streets are safer than ever,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “Thoughtful street design isn’t just about movement; it’s about making sure everyone gets home safely. That is what inspires DOT’s work each and every day, because one traffic death is one too many.”
First quarter traffic fatality data by year, 2013-2025. Source: NYC DOT
Traffic deaths declined from 65 during the first quarter of 2024 to 41 during the first quarter of 2025. DOT tracks traffic deaths involving pedestrians, cyclists, operators of motorized two-wheelers, and motor vehicle occupants, all of which saw marked declines in the first quarter of 2025. The data to start 2025 is consistent with longer-term trends that show major progress under Vision Zero. Despite a spike in traffic fatalities during the pandemic, New York City has seen a return to the early successes of Vision Zero initiatives. During the first quarter of 2013 (the year before Vision Zero launched), there were 70 percent more traffic fatalities — a total of 70 fatalities. In 1990, there were 166 traffic fatalities in the first quarter of the year — a 290 percent increase compared to this year.
Traffic injuries also declined during the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year. There were 7,936 traffic injuries through March 12, 2025 – the latest date for which data is available – compared to 9,599 during the same period last year. Declines in injuries are across-the-board, with drops in injuries among pedestrians, cyclists, motorized two-wheeler riders, and motor vehicle occupants.
Over the past three years, the Adams administration has made record investments in street safety that have helped reduce traffic deaths and injuries, including:
- Pedestrian Safety: Over the past three years, the Adams administration created a record 1.5 million square feet of new pedestrian space across the five boroughs. This vastly expanded space has enhanced safety for the most common road users: pedestrians. Last year alone, DOT added another 350,000 square feet of new pedestrian space across New York City, roughly the equivalent of six football fields of new pedestrian space.
- Safer Intersections: Over the past three years, the city implemented a record 5,765 intersection improvements that have bolstered safety. This includes measures to enhance visibility, reduce speeding, cause drivers to turn more slowly, and more. Last year alone, the agency completed upgrades at a record 2,688 intersections.
- Cyclist Safety: Over the past three years, DOT installed an all-time high 87.5 miles of protected bike lane miles and upgraded an additional 20+ miles of bike lanes through “hardening” with physical infrastructure to better protect cyclists from other vehicles. Last year alone, the agency added 3 miles of protected bike lanes, the third most mileage number built in the city’s history, following an all-time record year of 31.9 miles in 2023. The Adams administration’s three-year average for new protected bike lane miles is 29.1 miles per year — a 10 percent increase from the final three years of the previous administration.
- 24/7 Speed Cameras: Because speeding is a factor in more than a quarter of traffic deaths, speed camera enforcement has been central to the success of Vision Zero. Locations with speed cameras have experienced a 94 percent reduction in speeding since the program began a decade ago. In response to increased speeding and traffic deaths during overnight hours, the Adams administration successfully worked with leaders in the New York state Legislature to expand speed cameras to operate 24/7. The expansion to 24/7 coverage has dramatically reduced overnight speeding, the time when speeding can be most dangerous. The speed camera program is set to expire this year unless it is reauthorized by the state Legislature during the current legislative session.
- Expanding Red Light Cameras: New York City’s red-light camera program has reduced red-light running 73 percent at intersections where they are installed. Prior to last year, the state allowed New York City to have red-light cameras at 150 of its intersections — less than 1 percent of the signalized intersections across the city. Thanks to successful advocacy by the Adams administration, last year, the state Legislature passed, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law, legislation to expand their use to 600 intersections, quadrupling the program. This dramatic expansion will improve street safety by cracking down on one of the most dangerous behaviors on the city’s streets.
In addition to the encouraging data from the first quarter of the year, DOT carefully monitors longer, multi-year trends to assess street safety and inform street redesigns and other safety measures. Looking at longer-term trends provides a complete picture that is less susceptible to short-term variability. Following the spike in traffic deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic that peaked in 2021, traffic fatalities in New York City have steadily declined. In 2024, there were 252 traffic fatalities, down 24 from 2021. These declines accelerated in the fall of 2024 and the last 12 months have seen 222 traffic fatal
Banner Image: Photo of the main rotor of the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed into Hudson River on April 10 near Jersey City, New Jersey being recovered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Image Credit – NTSB
