The Westchester County woman who was struck by a tree during the intense downpour on Wednesday night has been identified as Catherine Tusiani, the wife of a Yankees executive.
Law enforcement officials said that Tusiani, 50, was killed when a tree fell onto her car on Route 128 in Armonk while she was driving north.
Yankees Wife Crushed by Tree
According to the team's website, Tusiani's husband, Michael J. Tusiani, is the Senior Vice President of Partnership for the New York Yankees.
In a statement, the Yankees said Cathy was beloved by their front office staffers and were privileged to experience and bear witness to her kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and great love for her husband, Michael, over the two-plus decades of dedicated service he has provided to the Yankee organization and the Steinbrenner family.
The organization continued that the Yankees are standing by them to provide their full support and unwavering love as they work through this unfathomable loss, adding that they share the sorrow and grief with Michael, daughters Alexa and Julia, and the whole Tusiani family.
The Children Left Behind
Julia, the youngest of Tusiani's two children, is a senior at Byram Hills, and according to LinkedIn, her oldest daughter, Alexa, graduated in 2021 and is taking public relations at Boston University.
On Thursday afternoon, Byram Hills High School Principal Chris Walsh confirmed the tragic news of Tusiani's passing in an email sent to faculty and staff members.
In the email, Walsh announced that the school would have a staff meeting on Friday morning to discuss student support.
The school was closed on Thursday due to road closures brought on by the storm.
The Police Report
The North Castle Police Department reported the tree struck Tusiani's Toyota between School Street and Leisure Farm Drive around 5:30 pm on Wednesday's storm.
Police verified that she was the only person in the vehicle during the collision.
Furthermore, the Westchester County and North Castle Police Departments are still investigating the incident.
Westchester County to Further Investigate Tusiani's Death
Westchester County Executive George Latimer sent his condolences to Tusiani's family.
Latimer told The Post that the circumstances surrounding Catherine's tragic accident serve as an unfortunate reminder of the unpredictable nature of life, particularly in the face of adverse weather conditions.
He added that in the wake of this tragedy, they will learn how to identify any factors that contributed to the accident and explore measures they could take to prevent similar occurrences.
In October 2022, a woman was killed when a tree fell on Interstate 95 near Harrison in Westchester County. According to authorities, Susan Braga, 34, of Mount Vernon, was traveling south on the highway when the tree struck her Honda Prius' roof.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
