At Least 24 New Yorkers Dead In Sandy's Aftermath, Death Toll Continues To Rise

Dominique Mosbergen
Updated
Robert Connolly, left, embraces his wife Laura as they survey the remains of the home owned by her parents that burned to the ground in the Breezy Point section of New York, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. More than 50 homes were destroyed in the fire which swept through the oceanfront community during superstorm Sandy. At right is their son, Kyle. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (Photo: )

Hurricane Sandy has killed at least 24 New Yorkers, including an off-duty police officer who drowned rescuing his family, a 13-year-old Staten Island girl who was crushed by debris, and an elderly woman whose oxygen machine lost power, the Associated Press reports.

Officials say they fear the number of lives lost will continue to increase as recovery efforts continue.

According to another Associated Press report from Wednesday morning, at least 59 deaths have already been attributed to the superstorm since it began impacting the East Coast over the weekend. On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the storm had left at least six dead in New Jersey.

In New York City, stories of heroism and tragedy are beginning to emerge.

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Police officer Artur Kasprzak, 28, died after rescuing his family from rising floodwaters. Kasprzak drowned in his Staten Island home after getting six members of his family -- including his 15-month-old son and his father -- to safety.

Kasprzak, who had been assigned to the 1st Precinct in Manhattan and is a six-year veteran of the NYPD, has been hailed a hero. His sacrifice, reads an earlier Huffington Post report, will "likely not be forgotten."

Also on Staten Island, an eighth-grade student identified as Angela Dresch was found dead under a pile of debris, the Staten Island Advance reports. The 13-year-old was killed after a "catastrophic wave" crashed into her home. The girl's mother is in critical condition, and her father has yet to be found.

"She was a really nice girl," said schoolmate Christian Palumbo, who described Dresch as a "sweetheart." "One of the nicest kids you could meet."

In Brooklyn, a young couple were reportedly hit by a tree while walking their dog. Jessie Streich-Kest and Jacob Vogelman, both in their early 20s, had been walking in Ditmas Park when they died. Their dog, Max, survived and is being treated at an emergency veterinarian hospital.

In Queens, a 23-year-old woman named Lauren Abraham was electrocuted after stepping in water near a live wire, the Associated Press reports. She had reportedly been taking photos of a power line that had caught fire with her cell phone at the time.

Elsewhere, a 75-year-old Manhattan woman died after her oxygen machine lost power, and at least four people in the Rockaways reportedly drowned, according to the New York Daily News.

A grad student at St. John's University named Anthony Laino was also killed after a tree crashed into his home. He was reportedly "in the bedroom on his couch" when the fatal incident occurred.

The newspaper adds that there are several people still reported missing, including two toddlers -- aged 2 and 4 -- who were separated from their mother when her car was submerged on Staten Island.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.