Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad’s funeral in Queens on Friday, but organisers did not call him to speak. He arrived with prepared remarks and sat in the fourth row at Calvary Assembly of God in Ozone Park.
Witnesses told that the Mamdani reviewed his speech on an iPad while other officials addressed mourners. “They kept calling names and then he was never called,” one attendee said. The witness claimed the mayor looked toward his staff in frustration before putting the tablet away.
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Family Reportedly Wanted to Avoid Political Distraction
Local media cited unnamed people involved in the funeral arrangements who said Rampersad’s family did not want Mamdani to speak. One source described the family as politically conservative and supportive of President Donald Trump.
“The family is more conservative and wanted to limit any political distractions,” the source said. The allegation rests on anonymous accounts, and Rampersad’s relatives have not publicly endorsed that explanation.
Governor Kathy Hochul, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, state Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. and community leader Sam Esposito delivered remarks. New York Attorney General Letitia James also attended the service.
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City Councilman Frank Morano said the mayor’s omission surprised him. “I didn’t understand why they would have lower-level officials speak and not the mayor,” he said.
City Hall did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment. Mamdani’s press team later released his planned speech under the label “remarks as prepared.”
“It is often said that our fallen ‘gave their tomorrows for our today,’” Mamdani planned to say. His statement said Rampersad surrendered future birthdays, ordinary mornings and evenings with loved ones so others could remain safe.
Queens Mourns Soldier Killed in Jordan
Rampersad, 28, grew up in Ozone Park and graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her uncle’s military service inspired her to join the Army.
An Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan killed Rampersad on July 17, according to the US Army. She served as a Signal Operations Support Specialist with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.
The attack also killed Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25. Their deaths raised the US military toll in the Iran war to 18.
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Hundreds of relatives, neighbours, soldiers and community members attended Rampersad’s funeral. Hochul said she had come to admire the young soldier and viewed her with the affection of a parent.
Daisy Davis-Credle, president of the Queens Sunday School Association, praised Rampersad’s ability to communicate with soldiers of every rank.
After the service, NYPD officers carried Rampersad’s coffin to a hearse. A blocks-long police procession then escorted her toward her burial site on Long Island.
