Tropical Storm Ida claimed another victim Wednesday night on the New York State Thruway near the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Rabbi Shmuel Weissmandel, 69, of Kiryat Nitra was trapped by flood waters near the bridge while driving from Monsey to Mount Kisco, where he lived.
MTA Suspends Subway Service, Newark Airport Flooded, as Ida Barrels into NYC Area
The rabbi passed away in his vehicle before anyone could rescue him.
The rabbi was the son of Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandel, who served as the Rosh Yeshiva of Nitra.
It is not clear whether the rabbi drowned, or passed away from a heart attack, officials said.
At least 14 people died in the New York-New Jersey area due to Ida’s fury. Most of them were victims of the flash floods caused by the remnants of what had begun as a Category 4 Hurricane Ida when the storm made landfall in Louisiana earlier in the week.
