Brooklyn Half Marathon runner dies, 16 hospitalized
NEW YORK -- A runner in the Brooklyn Half Marathon died after crossing the finish line Saturday and several other people were hospitalized.
Just after 9:30 a.m. Saturday, about two and a half hours after the 13.1 mile race started, 32-year-old David Reichman collapsed at the finish line.
The NYPD says the Brooklyn man was unresponsive when they arrived. Medics rushed him to Coney Island Hospital, where he died.
Ashley Scott, a boardwalk vendor, says she was just setting up when it all happened.
"Everybody kind of like ran and just kind of like, you know how they just dome a situation, you couldn't really see much. But there was a kind of like a big roar of whispers like, what is going on?" she said. "It's very bizarre to think of people that young having complications like that."
Nearly 20,000 runners participated in the 13.1 mile race. It began at the Brooklyn Museum, went around Prospect Park and along Ocean Parkway, finishing in Coney Island on the boardwalk.
The New York Road Runners released the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of a participant following the 2022 RBC Brooklyn Half. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the runner's family and those close to them.
"The male runner ... collapsed after finishing the race. He was immediately attended to by on-site medical staff and then transported to Coney Island Hospital. NYRR has medical staff placed from start to finish throughout the race course, who are ready to respond immediately to the medical needs of all runners, spectators, volunteers and staff. Runners who require further attention are transferred to appropriate medical facilities.
"The health and safety of our runners, volunteers, partners, and staff remain the top priority for NYRR. In coordination and consultation with city agency partners and weather experts, NYRR was closely monitoring weather conditions leading up to and during the race. Throughout the race, weather temperatures ranged from the low 60s to high 70s."
The FDNY says a total of 16 people were taken to the hospital. Five were reported to have serious injuries, and 12 had non-life-threatening or minor injuries. One runner refused medical treatment.