Tragedy after kindly couple known for helping thousands of people die within days of one another

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:43, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 06:50, 14 July 2026 Tragedy struck a New York neighborhood after a couple known for helping thousands of people died within just four days of each other.  Jayson Conner, 48, died from a heart attack in the couple's Manhattan home on June 28 before his partner, Jeffrey Newman, died just four days later.  Conner and Newman, 58, were known for their efforts to help the homeless by handing out backpacks full of essentials in the streets of New York City.   After beginning their charitable journey in 2018, the couple had handed out more than 180,000 packs in Manhattan by 2026, according to the New York Times.  The pair would organize a few dozen people to gather at a rental space in Queens once a week to pack more than 100 backpacks that were then put into a moving van.  Once in Manhattan, volunteers would grab packs from the van and distribute them over the course of several days.  'It was fascinating to see how well they managed to communicate with people on the streets,' Kristina Kashtanova, a volunteer who worked with the pair, told the outlet.  'They taught me how to be a better human and how to talk to people who were so different from me.' Jayson Conner, 48, died from a heart attack in the couple's Manhattan home on June 28 before his partner, Jeffrey Newman, died just four days later Conner and Newman, 58, were known for their efforts to help the homeless by handing out backpacks full of essentials in the streets of New York City Kristina Kashtanova, a volunteer who worked with the pair seen above, said that volunteers of theirs were working towards a solution to keep the efforts going since the couple's passing The backpacks began as a side project to their nonprofit, Together Helping Others, which offered social services, according to the outlet.  Once they announced the project, they received around 100 backpacks from donors as well as supplies. The packs would include items such as flashlights, beef-jerky and wool socks. 'We take what we do very seriously,' Newman told ABC News in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.  'We're not making little goody bags- we're really thinking out what it is people need the most. It's a labor of love.' Now, Kashtanova said that volunteers of theirs were working towards a solution to keep the efforts going since the couple's passing.  Conner's connection the project was always a personal one, with his experiencing sexual abuse, drug addiction and homelessness himself, the Times reported.  'It was soul crushing,' he said on their site. 'You never know where you'll find respite day after day, or if you'll eat or find warmth.' Conner is survived by his daughter, Jewlia Conner, and son, Andrew. Newman is survived by his brother Glenn, Ric, his sister Beth and his parents.  Tara Randall Newman, Newman's niece, aid the couple's legacy was their charity, Backpacks For The Street, 'where they helped thousands of people not only physically but with compassion and empathy' Before Newman's passing, Kashtanova wrote that she spoke with Newman and said: 'It was their 22nd anniversary of their marriage... Conner was [the] love of his life' Tara Randall Newman, Newman's niece, wrote on Facebook: 'To say my family is in shock would be an understatement. To lose both of them so close together is unthinkable. All I want to say is this, hold people close, live and love wholly, you don't know if you'll get a next time.' She said the couple's legacy was their charity, Backpacks For The Street, 'where they helped thousands of people not only physically but with compassion and empathy. We're working to find a way to make sure their legacy lives on in their name.' 'To my Uncles... Thank you for always showing up, for being present, and kind, and smart, and such wonderful examples for the world. I love you both,' she added.  Before Newman's passing, Kashtanova wrote that she spoke with her 'dear friend' Newman about Conner's sudden passing.  'It was their 22nd anniversary of their marriage. They usually would go to their favorite restaurant and have a date. Jayson Conner was [the] love of his life. They both are incredibly good people to the community here in New York (helping people in need).' In another post, she wrote: 'I’m in shock. My friend Jeffrey Newman is gone too. He passed away. This morning we knew this devastating news as he was preparing for a memorial for his husband and my friend Jayson Conner who passed away last week. I am in touch with their daughter. We are all in shock. We don’t know yet the cause of his death.' 'Just few days ago we were talking and he was so grateful for all your donations for Jayson’s memorial. Last thing he told me was: “thank you very much."'  Daniel Cartier, a friend to Newman, wrote: 'Heartbreaking news Jeffrey Newman was a longtime friend - and a genuinely wonderful person. Clearly his husband Jayson was too.' Conner is survived by his daughter, Jewlia Conner, and son, Andrew. Newman is survived by his brother Glenn, Ric, his sister Beth and his parents Kashtanova said: 'They taught me how to be a better human and how to talk to people who were so different from me' 'They spent their lives distributing backpacks filled with essentials, to people experiencing homelessness. My deepest condolences to their immediate families, close friends, and the thousands of people they helped,' he said.  A longtime friend said that her company volunteered with Backpacks For The Street and said: 'Those who knew, loved, and contributed to them and their dream are deeply pained.' 'I grew up with Jeffrey back on McKinley Place in Ardsley, and connected with him again around Backpacks when I moved to the city. My company volunteered with the organization, and Jeffrey and I shared ideas for building the name of his blessed non profit. I remember a rainy night working with him in Penn Station, when he encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and go talk to the people we were there to help. 'I sat with people whose luck had seemingly run out, and learned to be kinder than I had known how to be before. My heart goes out to their families. I will miss them both.' In 2020, Newman told Fox News: 'Everything about the backpack is about hope. We understand that it's not going to cure homelessness; we don't pretend it's going to cure homelessness. But it does say to somebody, "Hey, you know what? We care."'