A branch that fell onto a hotdog vendor next to the Museum of Natural History earlier this month had been inspected just days before, the city’s Parks Department reports.
The pin oak tree is located at the intersection of West 77th Street and Central Park West, nestled among other trees in Theodore Roosevelt Park and adjacent to a line of food vendors.
An official from the Parks Department stated, “This park was inspected in early September and there were no signs that the tree needed further examination or showed any visual defects before the branch fell.”
They added that the tree falls under Parks’ jurisdiction and stated that either forestry crews or contractors typically manage regular pruning. “If any defects had been found—which they were not—forestry staff would have inspected it and dealt with the issue promptly,” the spokesperson explained.
As for the tree’s last pruning, it was done back in October 2017 by a contractor as part of routine maintenance.
Interestingly, the amount of trees inspected by the city dropped by 33%, from 88,000 in the fiscal year 2025 to 59,000 in FY 2026, which concluded on June 30.
The branch fell just after noon on September 11, landing on an unidentified vendor operating a Nathan’s Hot Dog cart.
The FDNY reported that they transported a person injured by the fallen tree to Lenox Hill Hospital but did not disclose the severity of the injuries.
According to fellow vendors, the affected individual is now recovering at home.
The authorities have not released the name of the victim.
Vendor Mahmoud Saber, 51, remarked, “They’re trees. If a strong wind hits, that’s it. You just never know.”
In a related note, a couple received a $13.75 million settlement after a decade-long legal battle with the city and two non-profits managing the park and zoo. Their infant daughter was tragically killed by a falling tree limb in Central Park back in 2020.
Michael Ricciutti and his wife, Karla del Gallo, had taken a picture with their baby Gianna outside the Central Park Zoo when a large branch from a honey locust tree fell, injuring the mother and the six-month-old baby. Gianna was pronounced dead at the hospital, and her mother remained in a medically-induced coma for several weeks.
Reflecting on their loss, Michael expressed his heartbreak, saying, “She didn’t get to call us Mom and Dad. She can’t go to school. She didn’t get to take her first steps. So much was taken from her. Everything was taken from her.”
