NYC Blackout of 1977

July 13th, 1977, in the middle of a brutal heat wave that descended over the greater NYC area, at around 8 pm, severe thunderstorms pelted the region, until lightning struck a major power line in Westchester County, which increased demand on the surrounding power grids.

An hour later, the shifting power load forced a domino effect blackout in all five Burroughs of the city. At first there was a sense of calm. Surgery moved outside at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital to utilize car batteries as backup power.

But the tired, the poor and the huddled masses soon became restless, agitated and violent in the sweltering July night. NYC in 1977 was very much a place on edge. The Son Of Sam was stalking, while the fabric of the cash-strapped city was coming apart.

Looting and Riots of 1977

The blackout was a tipping point in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of the Burroughs. Arson and looting quickly ruled the night, while the response by the NYPD was weakened by layoffs and low morale.

Even so, more than 12,000 police officers took to the streets that night, instead of the usual 2,500 officers on a normal night of patrol. One policeman suffered a gunshot wound, while 550 others were injured. 40 firemen were injured fighting more than 1,037 fires.

For the first time in city history, the State Police was called in to help restore order and calm. Looting and vandalism ravaged 31 neighborhoods, including Crown Heights, where 75 stores on a five-block stretch were largely destroyed.

Before the lights came back on, 1,616 stores would be damaged in the looting and rioting. After 25 hours of unrest, Con Edison finally restored power to most of the city. Over the course of the blackout, more than 4,500 looters and arsonists were arrested, while an estimated $300 million dollars in damage was done during the rioting or approximately $1.3 billion in today’s money.