Sen. Gounardes, CM Santosuosso Call for Safety & Lighting Improvements After Fatal Stabbing on Shore Parkway Greenway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 10, 2026

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Brooklyn, NY – New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Council Member Kayla Santosuosso joined community members today for a press conference to call for safety and lighting improvements in Southern Brooklyn in the aftermath of a fatal stabbing on the waterfront.

28-year-old Katie Suarez was jogging along the Shore Parkway Greenway on October 30th when she was attacked by a man with a knife. In the aftermath of this horrific incident, elected officials are fighting to bring lighting to the Shore Parkway Greenway and ensure the safety of all community members who use the path. 

The impact of lighting on safety has been a recent focus of the area’s elected officials. Senator Gounardes, Council Member Santosuosso, and Brooklyn Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann also recently wrote a letter to the NYC Department of Transportation detailing a backlog of streetlight repairs in the area. Their survey found a shocking 137 streetlights out of service in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, with some broken for nearly a year.

“We’re here not only to mourn, but to call for action,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Our first and most important responsibility is to keep New Yorkers safe, and ensuring our public spaces are properly lit is public safety 101. It’s past time to install lighting on the Greenway, and to ensure the streetlights throughout our community are working and well-maintained. It’s the least we can do to honor the light of Katie’s memory, and to prevent another tragedy like this in the future.”

“Our neighbors have been asking for better lighting on this promenade and across our streets and sidewalks since long before I took elected office. We don’t know if better lighting would have prevented what happened to Katie Suarez, but the chance that it could have been is enough,” said Council Member Kayla Santosuosso. “This entire promenade is set to be redone in the coming years. Lighting should and must be a part of that plan. And in the meantime, we have other options. We can increase lighting on the belt, which gives secondary illumination to the path. We can add lighting to the still to be completed 17th Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, and we can also install solar powered lights along the promenade.”

“Our community grieves for Katie Suarez and her family,” said Kristen Pettit, members of Ridge Runners NYC. “Her murder strikes close to our hearts. We knew that Katie could have been any one of us. As a runner, she was one of us. The Greenway is a vital resource to our community, and members of our group train here every day. But without proper lighting, there’s a problem that must be solved: runners are vulnerable from dusk until dawn, especially when they’re alone, and especially when they’re female. We need leaders to fix this situation, not just for runners, but also for the parents, kids, seniors and everyone else who uses this space.”

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

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