NYC man’s Hudson River Park bench for his late fiance goes viral: ‘It’s felt like finally the world is stopping and feeling my grief with me’

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A New York City man has gone viral for sharing his story of love and loss on TikTok after the sudden passing of his fiance, bringing together a community of people working through grief of their own.

Jack Ciapciak began taking daily walks along the West Side Highway after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring his September 2022 proposal to his partner of seven years, Jack Lorentzen.

Ciapciak had noticed benches throughout Hudson River Park that were proposals, and thought it would be a surprising and special way to pop the question. He had a plaque made that said “Jack, will you marry me?,” and the two were quickly engaged.

Jack Ciapciak (L) and his Jack Lorentzen (R) during their engagement in Hudson River Park in September 2022. Photo credit @MargaretSullivanPhoto / Margaret Sullivan Photography

“Unfortunately, he passed suddenly three months later of an undiagnosed heart condition, and I had to decide, you know, what to do with the bench,” Ciapciak told 1010 WINS. Lorentzen was 30 years old…

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