I just wanted to put that out there in case anyone has questions.
I mean, don't expect anything at all, let alone something approaching this level of sympathy.
I am heartbroken by the death earlier today of a New Yorker who was in City custody and receiving medical care at the Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, a facility dedicated to those with acute medical needs.
โ Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) August 19, 2026
My thoughts are with his lovedโฆ
My thoughts are with his loved ones as they grieve this tragic loss.
As is protocol for any death in City custody, the Department of Correction and its oversight partners will conduct a full investigation into the circumstance surrounding it.
That sort of empathetic outreach is reserved for those whom the mayor has a special affection for. Those who are, for instance, as his condolence message reads, 'in CITY CUSTODY.'
If you're, um, say...a young mother, out for a summer evening cruise around Manhattan with your husband and children...not so much.
A family boarded a nighttime charter tour near the Statue of Liberty earlier this month with no idea who was actually driving the boat. The Yamaha AR210 was over capacity, carrying ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ, and there wasnโt a single life vest on board. About twenty minutes in, the captain made a U-turn that sent the boat into a swell โ and it capsized, throwing everyone into the harbor.
Most of the passengers could swim until rescuers reached them. ๐๐-๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ-๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ณ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐-๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก-๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐, could not be saved.
Especially if the boat captain turns out to have been not a seasoned, licensed Hudson River mariner, but another one of the mayor's favorite class of protected personages - an illegal alien.
This illegal alien KILLED a 27-year-old MOTHER and her BABY.
โ Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 19, 2026
Manuel Hernandez, from El Salvador, was illegally piloting a boat when he capsized the overloaded vessel in New York Harbor.
Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of @ICEgov, this criminal is off our streetsโฆ https://t.co/zxRX3SAL3l pic.twitter.com/ydBazpYwsZ
He had been running an illegal charter boat business out of New York Harbor for years.
NO captainโs license AND in the country illegallyโฆ Other than that, smooth sailing in New York City pic.twitter.com/pojtwH7pyx
โ Diane Mantouvalos (@AndoniaPR) August 20, 2026
Mamdani has restricted the NYPD from working with ICE to find these guys. A Coast Guard investigation discovered the truth and, when Hernandez was released on $50,000 bail, ICE was there to snatch him up.
Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, who has a pending federal criminal case in connection with the Aug. 8 crash, falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to a border officer when he entered the country via Texas in 2007, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
According to online records, the 46-year-old citizen of El Salvador is currently being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he will eventually face deportation.
ICE arrested him after he was released on bail in his criminal case, where he is charged with causing the deaths of 5-month old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez through misconduct or neglect.
Authorities attributed the disaster to an overcrowded boat, improper decision-making by Hernandez, a lack of required commercial licenses, and the failure to secure a life jacket on the infant. Twelve other individuals were rescued and remain in stable condition.
โOnce he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,โ Mullin said in a statement.
As for the 'tragic loss' that has the mayor heartbroken.
In case New York's idiot mayor is still "heartbroken" over this "tragic loss", maybe the following will help calm him down:
โ Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) August 19, 2026
The name of the dearly beloved deceased was Christopher Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had been held since November of last year on several open assault cases inโฆ https://t.co/VypOcybAtI
...The name of the dearly beloved deceased was Christopher Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had been held since November of last year on several open assault cases in Queens and Brooklyn, according to Department of Correction records.
Police said he had most recently confronted a woman in the hallway of the Queens apartment building where he lived, hit her repeatedly with closed fists, grabbed her cellphone and smashed it, then cornered her with a knife. No injuries were reported.
He was separately indicted in the Bronx on a charge of second-degree assault, a felony, for allegedly striking a correction officer at Rikers Island in December, prosecutors said.
Whatever.
If only he could have lived in society without beating up innocent citizens. https://t.co/BJGMaRPRvt
โ Quite_Contrary (@_QuiteContrary1) August 20, 2026
Sarah Sanchez and her little guy?
Not so much.
Or anyone else, for that matter.
Editorโs Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdaniโs socialist takeover.
Help us continue to report on his radical policies and expose the Democrats who support him. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member