The unclaimed bodies of nine homeless people who froze to death on the city’s streets last winter will finally get a proper funeral and a permanent resting place, thanks to a group of generous New Yorkers.
The nine were among 18 homeless people found dead outside during last winter’s brutal cold stretch when temperatures plunged as low as 3 degrees. While relatives claimed the remains of half of the victims, the other bodies were headed for burial on Hart Island, the city’s Potter’s Field off the Bronx coast.
But Rhonda Roland Shearer, the founder of the nonprofit Art Science Research Laboratory and Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes, intervened.
Now the nine will receive a funeral service at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue on Monday, Nov. 2, at 5:30 p.m. during an All Souls Day Mass. Their ashes will be laid to rest throughout the church’s Resurrection Chapel. The service is open to the public.
They are:
- James Paul Smith, 51: Born in South Carolina. Died of hypothermia on Dec. 3, 2025, and found near East 150th Street and Melrose Avenue in the Bronx.
- Manjeet Singh, 38: Originally from India, son of Satpal and Amarjit. Found dead Died Dec. 5, 2025, along the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens. Hypothermia contributed to his death.
- Harold Hemphill, 66: Born in South Carolina to Janie and James. Died of hypothermia on Dec. 13, 2025, found at West 173rd Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights.
- Tomeka Ryeshera Gibson, 39: Born in Manhattan. Died of hypothermia on Dec. 22, 2025, at West 135th Street and Broadway in Harlem.
- Jorge Elias Rivera Torres, 61: Born in Puerto Rico. Died of hypothermia on Dec. 30, 2025, near Gardner and Metropolitan Avenues in Brooklyn.
- Jeffrey Costa, 47: Born in Queens to Linney and Americo. Died of hypothermia on Jan. 21, 2026, and was found on Queens Boulevard.
- Edward “Eduardo” Adames, 54: Died of hypothermia on Jan. 24, 2026, after being found near First Avenue and East 69th Street in Manhattan.
- Jose M. “Joseph” Pena, 74: Had lived near the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and the Long Island Expressway in Queens since 2020. Died there of hypothermia on Feb. 3, 2026.
- Igor Zapevalov, 64: Originally from Russia, he had lived in Manhattan for 10 years. Died of hypothermia on Feb. 10, 2026, found in a doorway vestibule on East 7th Street in the East Village.
In Christianity, All Souls Day is when the church remembers and honors those who have died.
“We’re honoring and purely recognizing the humanity in each person,” Shearer told The Post.
Along with Shearer and the church, non-profit Housing Works helped arrange the event.
And Patrick J. Marmo, owner of International Funeral & Cremation Services of New York, graciously donated the funeral arrangements.
“As a lifelong New Yorker and a funeral director for over 30 years, I have always believed that every life deserves to be honored with dignity and respect,” Marmo said.
Shearer said she hopes the funeral brings awareness to the vulnerable individuals who die on the street each winter and urges the city to better prepare to help them in the coming months.
“I hope this will make everybody more alert to prevent this again,” she said.
