A heartbreaking event unfolded in a New York community when a beloved couple, known for their altruistic spirit, passed away within four days of each other.
Jayson Conner, aged 48, succumbed to a heart attack in the couple’s Manhattan residence on June 28, followed shortly by his partner, Jeffrey Newman, who died four days later.
Conner and Newman, aged 58, earned recognition for their dedication to supporting the homeless, frequently distributing backpacks filled with essential items across New York City streets.
Commencing their philanthropic work in 2018, by the year 2026 the pair had successfully distributed over 180,000 backpacks throughout Manhattan, as reported by the New York Times.
Every week, they gathered a few dozen volunteers at a rented space in Queens to prepare over 100 backpacks, which were then loaded onto a moving van for distribution.
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'](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/07/14/06/109999375-15973509-Before_Newman_s_passing_Kashtanova_wrote_that_she_spoke_with_New-a-43_1784007788665.jpg)
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.”‘