Parts of the Riverdale neighborhood in the Bronx, which is home to a large Jewish community, lost electrical service during New York City’s latest summer heat wave after Con Edison temporarily shut off power to protect its equipment and reduce strain on the electrical grid, as reported by Breitbart.
Con Edison announced the planned outages on Thursday, saying the temporary shutdown was intended to lessen stress on the electrical system and help restore service more efficiently.
.@ConEdison has turned off power to some customers in parts of Riverdale in The Bronx to protect equipment & allow for quicker restoration of service. Report service loss: https://t.co/12zVPHpRjS or 1-800-75-CONED. Call 311 to find the nearest Cooling Center.
— NYCEM – Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) July 2, 2026
The utility instructed affected customers to report outages and encouraged residents needing relief from the extreme temperatures to visit city-operated cooling centers.
The loss of electricity left portions of Riverdale without air conditioning as temperatures remained elevated across New York City. The outage occurred while demand for electricity increased during the ongoing heat wave.
The timing also placed additional attention on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on promises to protect working New Yorkers and improve city services.
The outage in Riverdale occurred as residents coped with high temperatures and limited access to cooling inside affected homes and businesses.
At the same time, preparations continued elsewhere in Manhattan for the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden.
The couple is scheduled to marry on Friday after hosting a rehearsal dinner Thursday evening at the arena’s Infosys Theater.
Approximately 1,000 guests are expected to attend the ceremony, with the wedding reception scheduled to continue into the early hours of Saturday.
Earlier Friday, Mamdani urged New Yorkers to reduce electricity consumption as demand on the city’s power grid remained high during the heat wave.
He encouraged residents to set thermostats to 78 degrees, turn off unused lights and electronics, and conserve electricity whenever possible.
Con Edison said the temporary outages were implemented to protect electrical infrastructure from excessive strain while crews worked to stabilize the system.
The company stated that reducing demand on portions of the grid would help speed service restoration for affected customers.
Residents impacted by the outage were directed to notify the utility if they experienced a loss of service.
City officials also reminded those without air conditioning that cooling centers were available throughout the city for relief from the heat.
Riverdale experienced the outage while much of New York continued to deal with elevated temperatures and increased electricity use.
Utility companies often monitor demand during periods of extreme heat because prolonged high usage can place significant stress on transmission and distribution equipment.
The outage drew attention because it affected a neighborhood with a large Jewish population during one of the hottest periods of the summer.
Con Edison has not announced how many customers were affected. Still, the utility said the temporary shutdown was implemented as part of efforts to protect equipment and restore reliable service as quickly as possible.
City officials continued urging residents to conserve electricity as the heat wave persisted, while Con Edison monitored conditions and worked to restore service to impacted customers.
The utility advised customers to continue reporting outages and to take advantage of available cooling centers until electrical service was fully restored.
