Legionnaires’ Outbreak Causes Sixth Death on UES
Although no new cases of the disease have been reported since July 17, an outbreak that tore through the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhood for two weeks continues to claim lives.
| 30 Jul 2026 | 12:00
Cooling towers at the following addresses have tested culture positive, meaning live Legionella bacteria were present at the time of the test. (
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A outbreak of Legionnaires’ on the Upper East Side has now resulted in six deaths, even as no new cases have been reported since July 17. (
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The Metropolitan Museum (above) tested positive for the disease during the outbreak, as did the Guggenheim Museum. (
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A Legionnaires’ outbreak that has wreaked havoc on the Upper East Side has now resulted in a sixth death, even as the New York City Health Department believes that they eliminated the source of the disease earlier this month. No new cases have been diagnosed since July 17.
A total of 90 cases connected to the outbreak—located in the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods—have been reported by the Health Department as of Tuesday, July 28, up from 82 cases on July 21. Six people remain hospitalized, with 65 patients having been discharged from the hospital. Thirteen cases resulted in no hospitalization.
A total of 183 cooling towers, spread across 163 buildings, have been tested for the disease-causing Legionella bacteria—59 of which received positive results for live bacteria, meaning that they posed an active threat to the public. A total of 106 towers have tested “culture negative,” with remaining results pending.
All of these buildings have since reportedly taken steps to disinfect such towers, as they contain the sort of warm water that Legionella bacteria thrives in; this is done via the use of biocides such as chlorine.
Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia that spreads via infected aerosols, can prove particularly deadly to people with severe lung disease or a history of smoking. It is not contagious.
“We are heartbroken to report that a sixth person has passed away in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease cluster on the Upper East Side. We extend our heartfelt condolences to their loved ones, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time,” NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alistair Martin said online.
“We continue to believe the source of exposure has been eliminated. At this time, no one has reported new symptoms in over two weeks; no one has been diagnosed in over 10 days. “New Yorkers can find the most up to date information on nyc.gov/legionnaires,” he added.
An 88-year-old Air Force veteran named Robert Goldstein was one such victim of the latest outbreak, and his widow Ida is now prepping a lawsuit against an unspecified building owner over his death, as reported by Our Town. Her lawyer, Ronald Katter, says that she plans to allege that negligence when it came to monitoring for the disease caused her “severe physical and emotional trauma.”
At a press conference held on July 17, Ida Goldstein elaborated that her daily commutes to visit Robert Goldstein at the hospital had left her breathing in “the same lethal bacteria that was killing my husband.”
The outbreak has also caused a political stir, with City Council Speaker Julie Menin charging Mayor Zohran Mamdani with not mounting a satisfying response to the disease. City Council Member Liz Krueger, who also represents the area, has defended Mamdani’s approach.
A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease also notably sickened 114 people in Harlem last summer, killing seven. Reporting in Gothamist subsequently found that seven of the ten buildings traced to the outbreak had not been tested for over a year, with the New York City Council then passing a bill intended to strengthen testing requirements for building owners last fall.
Yet a recent investigation by the same outlet found that the law, which only went into effect in May, did not seriously ramp up testing and tracing in time for the Upper East Side outbreak that is continuing to kill people.