A member of a 9/11 family publicly urged Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday to disavow an association with left‑wing commentator Hasan Piker, saying Mamdani “doesn’t deserve to be mayor” after appearing on Piker’s program earlier this year.
Wendi Turturici, 52, who became an EMT after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, told The New York Post that Mamdani’s ties to Piker were "disgraceful" and called on him to renounce the influencer’s past comments. Her husband, Sal Turturici, 60, a former FDNY emergency medical technician who assisted in recovery efforts at Ground Zero and now has stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer, also criticized Mamdani and announced the couple’s endorsement of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the November mayoral election.
The Turturicis joined Cuomo at a press conference two days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed 2,977 people. Wendi Turturici cited Cuomo’s work as governor securing benefits and disability pensions for 9/11 survivors and the couple’s previous appearances with him at a 2017 bill signing and at commemorative rides honoring first responders.
Hasan Piker has drawn controversy for past remarks, including a 2019 statement saying, "America deserved 9/11, dude. I’m saying it," and comments after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel in which he was quoted as saying it "doesn’t matter if rapes happened." The New York Post reported that Mamdani appeared on Piker’s show earlier this year.
The Turturicis also referenced Mamdani’s past remarks expressing "love" for five leaders of a nonprofit later convicted of funneling more than $12 million to the terror group Hamas, a reference to the so‑called Holy Land Five. The couple said those associations further disqualified Mamdani from the mayoralty.
The New York Post reported that it reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. Mamdani, a Democratic nominee in a high‑profile New York City mayoral race, and his campaign have previously defended his alliances and platform as part of a broader progressive coalition.
The Turturicis’ endorsement of Cuomo adds a prominent 9/11 family voice to the former governor’s bid, underscoring the degree to which post‑9/11 recovery and benefits remain politically resonant in the city. The mayoral contest heads to the November ballot, where candidates are seeking to court a range of constituencies, including first responders and families affected by the 2001 attacks.
Reporting by The New York Post was cited in this account. No immediate response from Mamdani’s campaign to the Post’s outreach was detailed in that report.
