NYC legionnaires disease: Air Force veteran, 88, dies in Upper East Side outbreak; family blames cooling tower owner - ABC7 New York

What the report says

WABC-TV reports that an 88-year-old Air Force veteran from Manhattan’s Upper East Side has died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease during an outbreak in the neighborhood. According to the station, his family, speaking through attorney Ron Ketter, said he became ill in his Yorkville apartment on July 2, spent about two weeks in intensive care, and died Friday. The family is preparing legal action against the owner of the cooling tower tied to the outbreak’s source once that source is formally identified.

The case is part of a larger cluster that city health officials are investigating on the Upper East Side. WABC reported that four deaths have been connected to the outbreak, 76 people have been diagnosed, and seven patients remain hospitalized. The outbreak has been focused in ZIP codes 10128, 10028 and 10075. Investigators have been testing cooling towers in the area, including one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Legionella bacteria was detected.

City officials said no new cases had been associated with the outbreak for more than a week and believe the exposure source has been removed, though the investigation is still continuing. Mayor Zohran Mamdani sought to reassure residents Monday that tap water remains safe for drinking, bathing, showering and cooking, and that air conditioners can still be used.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which can spread through mist from contaminated water systems such as cooling towers. Health officials are advising anyone with flu-like symptoms to seek care, especially because symptoms can develop up to 14 days after exposure and older adults face higher risk of severe illness.