The past 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride of major events across the five boroughs, with political scandals, disasters, and economic developments dominating the headlines in 2023.
So, as the year winds down, amNewYork is taking a look back at the biggest news stories of the year!
Migrants continue arriving in droves
While the ongoing migrant crisis began before 2023 started, the year marked another 12 months when droves of asylum seekers showed up in the five boroughs. Since it began, over 150,000 migrants have reached the Big Apple — forcing the city to scramble as it sought to accommodate the influx of people. According to the state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the city is on track to spend around $12 billion on asylum seeker programs over the next three fiscal years, while massive shelters atop public land (such as Randall’s Island and Floyd Bennett Field) figure to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign fundraiser arrested
Investigators with the FBI raided the home of Mayor Eric Adams’ chief fundraiser on Nov. 2, marking one of the biggest escalations of their investigation into whether his 2021 campaign conspired to funnel illegal money into his campaign coffers. Just over a week later, federal agents confiscated Adams’ personal electronic devices as he was walking into his vehicle while leaving an event in Manhattan. The moves kicked-off widespread hysteria among the city’s politicos, and, while no one has been charged with any crimes explicitly tied to the allegations, it has left the Adams Administration on the defensive, with potentially massive ramifications for the future of leadership in the Big Apple.
President Donald Trump indicted
Former President Donald Trump was indicted in four different cases in 2023, with the first case relating to New York State charges for allegedly paying hush-money to an adult-film star in 2016. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought those charges in March 2023, alleging that the payments were part of a conspiracy to undermine the 2016 presidential election. He pleaded not guilty during an appearance in Supreme Court earlier this year. The Queens-born politician, who is the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, also saw several other legal challenges — including federal indictments for allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election, as well as a Georgia state crime for allegedly illicit actions in his efforts to change the election results in that state in 2020. The former commander-in-chief also faces a civil fraud case in New York State for alleged financial improprieties during his earlier time as a real estate mogul in the Big Apple.
Israel’s war with Hamas divides New Yorkers
The terrorist group Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack in Israel that killed over 1,000 people, and sparked a full scale war in the Middle East on Oct. 7. Since then, New Yorkers have been bitterly divided over the situation in the Gaza Strip, where over 20,000 people have died. Many protests backing Israel have popped up, while counter-demonstrations calling for an end to the conflict have sprouted in response to the country’s use of military force against Palestinians — pitting the various groups against one another since the conflict began. Meanwhile, the NYPD has recorded a significant rise in hate crimes targeting Jewish and Muslim people in New York City — including assaults, robberies and arsons. The Department saw 131 hate crimes directed at Jewish individuals between October and November, compared with just 69 such incidents during the same two months in 2022. There were 15 bigoted attacks against Muslims during that time, after no such incidents in October and November in 2022. The NYPD has not released a breakdown of the victims of bias incidents in December, but the total number of hate crimes for the month has more-than doubled, from 27 to 66.
The George Santos saga
After his election to congress in 2022, questions were raised about Geroge Santos’ biography and ethics — with mounting evidence appearing to show that he lied about significant facts, and possibly committed serious financial infractions. He refused to resign, even after he was indicted in a federal investigation in May, where prosecutors charged him with 23 crimes, including wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. Representing Queens and Long Island, the news around Santos became somewhat of a circus, and only ended when he was expelled from congress by his peers in the beginning of December. His legal troubles, however, are set to continue into 2024.
Daniel Penny allegedly kills Jordan Neely
On May 1, a former marine named Daniel Penny was riding the subway near the Second Avenue station, when Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a history of mental illness, began shouting and causing a commotion aboard the train. According to witnesses, Penny placed Neely in a chokehold for around 50 seconds, until the train arrived at the next station — but Neely never stood back up. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Penny was later indicted for the incident, which sparked a citywide debate over public safety, homelessness, and race relations that divided the public.
The cannabis industry takes off in 2023
The first legal cannabis store in New York State opened in Manhattan in the final days of 2022, but 2023 saw the above-ground market for legal weed really take off.
During the process of legalizing the sale of marijuana products, the state implemented tight controls that focused on giving licenses only to those historically harmed by the war on drugs — such as people with past drug convictions, or organizations aiming to help minority communities dejected by highly-punitive drug laws of the past.
That led to a rocky start for the new industry, and several lawsuits that held up the opening of new shops — causing only 11 businesses in the Big Apple to be operational for most of the year. In November of 2023, though, the state settled a pair of major lawsuits against the Cannabis Control Board, which has opened the floodgates for more recreational marijuana stores to open, including the first location in Brooklyn in mid-December.
Around 464 license holders were then allowed to proceed with their business plans, and New Yorkers can expect legalized marijuana to become increasingly commonplace.
‘Exonerated Five’ member Yusef Salaam elected to City Council
Yusef Salaam, who was one of the “Exonerated Five” after he was convicted of (and then later cleared of) raping a woman in Central Park in 1989, was elected to the New York City Council in 2023. He won 63.8% of the in the Democratic primary for the seat that oversees Harlem, and won the general election unopposed in November. The win marked the latest turn in what was once known as the “Central Park Five” case, and was seen as a major win for advocates of reform in the criminal justice system.
Midtown Manhattan crane collapse at high-rise injures 10 people
A massive crane outside of a Midtown Manhattan highrise partially collapsed on July 26, 2023— catching fire and striking into a nearby building. The chaotic scene unfolded near the intersection of 10th Avenue and West 41st Street, and sent people scrambling for safety. At least 10 people, including two firefighters, were injured in the aftermath of the event, and authorities were forced to close several blocks surrounding the site.
An arrest in the Gilgo Beach serial killings
One of the most notorious cold cases in American history, known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings, saw a major breakthrough in July of 2023, when authorities arrested the man allegedly responsible in July — Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old Manhattan architect. Heuermann was charged with three of the killings, and is the prime suspect in the death of all 11 victims, who were all sex workers killed in Long Island between 1996 and 2011. The suspect has denied any involvement in the killings, and his legal trials figure to continue throughout 2024 and possibly beyond.
Congestion pricing moves ahead
While the proposal for instituting congestion pricing in Manhattan dates back several years, 2023 saw the idea gain significant momentum. The plan calls for cars driving in the borough’s central business district during peak hours to be subjected to a toll — with most motor vehicles charged $15 once per day, and a $24 rate for small trucks and $36 for larger ones. The money raised will mostly be shepherded into the MTA’s coffers, with hopes that the scheme will help improve subway service and further limit the need to drive into the congested area. The MTA Board formally voted on the fines in early December, and authorities are planning to debut the system in the late spring of 2024.
The Union Square riot
A normal summer day in early August turned into complete chaos in Union Square, when YouTube sensation Kai Carlo Cenat hosted a “giveaway” attended by at least 2,000 people. The crowd quickly became unruly, prompting the NYPD to call for a level 4 mobilization — the highest-level emergency response, after people began throwing random projectiles, and others set off fireworks and fire extinguishers. The rioting crowd soon spilled out of Union Square Park, with revelers hopping the fence of a nearby construction site, and onto the adjoining sidewalks. Over 65 people, including the Youtuber himself, were arrested in the aftermath of the event, and at least nine people were injured.
Buildings Department head charged with bribery
Former City Buildings Department Commissioner Eric Ulrich was indicted in September of 2023 after the Manhattan District Attorney’s office charged him with 16 felony charges — including counts of conspiracy and bribe-taking. A former City Council member, who previously served as senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, allegedly took in more than $150,000 in ill-gotten gains, and abused his authority to help his friends and family. Among his under-the-table payments, Ulrich received a discounted apartment, expensive artwork, Mets tickets, and cash. He resigned from the DOB before his arrest, and pleaded not-guilty to the charges.
The Signature Bank collapse
On March 12, New York City-based Signature Bank officially collapsed. Holding nearly $200 billion in assets, the bank was critical to large partitions of the local economy, and collapsed just days after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed — prompting fears of a widespread run on banks, and future economic destruction. Authorities quickly moved to appoint a government receiver to assume control of the bank, and ultimately protect depositors across the 40 branches in the Tri-State area, but left a trail of damage and spooked customers rethinking their financial positions throughout 2023.
Redistricting heads back to the legislature
A yearslong legal fight over the boundaries of the state’s congressional districts finally got a definitive conclusion in December, when the Court of Appeals ordered all of the Empire State’s 26 Congressional Districts to be redrawn before the 2024 elections. The decision will change the landscape of the political map in the state, and potentially have massive nationwide implications over the federal government. After the 2020 census, every state in the country needed to redraw their congressional map to ensure even representation — but a last-minute court decision tossed-out the proposed map in New York, and instead allowed a court-appointed body to draw the district lines for the 2022 federal elections. Using those maps, the Republican Party picked up a net gain of four seats in the state — helping to hand them control of the lower chamber in Washington D.C, as they hold the majority by exactly 4 seats. The highest court in the state, however, ruled in December of 2023 that the redistricting process can commence again, with the Democratic-controlled state legislature ultimately controlling the process in the coming weeks. That may allow them to draw more favorable maps, and elect more Democrats to the House of Representatives in November of 2024.
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