Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Dear New Yorkers,
An ICE agent appeared to tase a man several times while another agent tried to forcefully drag him out of his car as the man screams in pain and begs for help, as captured in a video obtained by THE CITY.
ICE agents later took that man to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center for medical treatment, in what became a tense, hours-long standoff Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning, with protesters and NYPD officers outside the hospital.
In a statement sent hours after THE CITY first published this story, an unnamed spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security disputed that the man had been tased. “This criminal was NOT tased by law enforcement,” he wrote.
The video, captured by bystanders, shows a masked agent appearing to fire a taser at the man, who is seated in the driver’s seat of a white car with the door open. The man screams in pain as popping sounds are heard, while repeatedly asking to talk to a lawyer and pleading for help from nearby witnesses.
At one point the agent appears to use a knife to cut the man’s seatbelt.
“Somebody help me,” the man can be heard screaming. “They are killing me.”
An unnamed spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, however, said that had previously identified the man arrested that night as a Nigerian national named Chidozie Wilson Okeke, who they said had prior arrests for assault and criminal drug possession and had overstayed a tourist visa. He had been arrested, the spokesperson said, with the minimum amount of force necessary.
Chidozie’s arrest precipitated a chaotic standoff outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center as activists got word of ICE’s presence at the hospital and rushed to the scene, with federal agents pepper-spraying several demonstrators.
Nine people were arrested over the course of the evening, according to an unnamed NYPD spokesperson, with eight of them then charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration while the other received a summons.
Councilmember Sandy Nurse, who was outside the hospital until early Sunday morning, wrote that she witnessed what “appeared to be direct coordination between ICE and the NYPD, with officers cordoning off the ambulance bay to allow ICE to move the individual into their vehicles and leave.”
Mayor Mamdani, however, later said that “NYPD officers were not dispatched to the hospital to participate or facilitate an ICE operation. Rather, they were responding to 911 calls regarding a protest outside of the hospital.”
See the video and read more here about the arrest and subsequent standoff in Queens.
Weather ☀️
Sunny, with a high near 77 going down to 62.
MTA 🚇
In Brooklyn, Brighton Beach-bound B trains run local from Prospect Park to Kings Highway from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, May 5.
By the way …
The National Weather Service has issued a warning of an elevated risk of fire spreading across the city in effect today. Hold off on any brush burning, pile burning or bonfires. The state’s annual burn ban is also in place through May 14.
Our Other Top Stories
- The city’s main voucher program, CityFHEPS, has been a lifeline for many homeless New Yorkers who have secured permanent homes with the rental subsidy. But a broad swath of people in New York’s shelters are not eligible, cutting them off from a key avenue out of homelessness, according to new data from two major local shelter providers obtained by THE CITY.
- New Yorkers who use the city’s Fair Fares program to ride buses, trains and Access-a-Ride are still struggling to afford transit despite receiving half-off on fares, a new survey from the Community Service Society finds. Read more here.
- Zohran Mamdani’s first political endorsement since becoming mayor fell predictably flat but Lindsey Boylan wasn’t the candidate he’s really betting his political capital on. The FAQ NYC hosts discuss that and much more on the podcast’s latest episode.
Things To Do
Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.
- Tuesday, May 5: Spot the wonderful diversity of birds that visit Bryant Park during migratory season, with guided tours led by environmental educator and urban naturalist Gabriel Willow. Free, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, May 5: Benoît Loiseau presents new research at The New School reconstructing an encounter between Michel Foucault and a female physician and aspiring writer who, after unsuccessfully seeking his feedback on a manuscript in the late 1960s, began stalking him, leading to her institutionalization. Free, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Register here.
- Wednesday, May 6: Attend a screening of “The Young Girls of Rochefort,” at Columbia University’s Maison Française, followed by a discussion with Walter Frisch, professor of music and Jane Gaines, professor of film and media studies. Free, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Register here.
THE KICKER: Longtime radio voice John Sterling, known by generations of Yankees fans for his signature call — “the Yankees win!” — has died at 87.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.
Love,
THE CITY
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