NYC man’s heartbreaking Hudson River Park tribute to late partner

A New York man has gone viral after sharing his heartbreaking story of love and loss — sparking widespread interest in a humble park bench honoring his late fiancé.

Jack Ciapciak goes on daily walks along the West Side Highway — but it’s not to exercise.

The popular walkway is where the 32-year-old television writer proposed to Jack Lorentzen, his partner of seven years, right before Lorentzen died unexpectedly.

“Two months before he died, I proposed to Jack by surprising him with a bench in Hudson River Park,” Ciapciak shared in a TikTok last month — which currently has 10.2 million views.

“Jack, Will you marry me? Love, Jack,” the plaque on the bench shown in the next slide reads.

The bench sits on the West Side Highway between W 12th Street and Bethune, which was chosen because of its location next to the LGBT Memorial facing Hoboken, where Lorentzen lived when the couple first met.

Ciapciak and Lorentzen had their first date on Jan. 14, 2016, having been set up by mutual friends — coincidentally both named Kate.

The pair met for drinks at Finnerty’s in the East Village and according to Ciapciak, “all it took was one date and we both knew…this was special.”

“I remember walking in and seeing him at the bar and just being blown away by (his) smile and his eyes. He was someone who just radiated such joy and happiness,” Ciapciak told TODAY.

“I remember he was drinking a beer, so I ordered a beer, even though I don’t even like beer. And I just remember sitting there and thinking, ‘Oh my God, this guy is so incredible and there’s no way he’s going to be into me.’”

But much to Ciapciak’s surprise, he was. The two fell in love quickly and told each other so after just three weeks.

A year later, they moved in together, and in Sept. 2022, after seven years of dating, Ciapciak finally proposed to the love of his life in front of the strategically chosen bench.

“He looked at it and was totally shocked and caught off guard,” Ciapciak told TODAY. “We sat on the bench and cried. We kept walking, and I had both of our families waiting for us on a boat for a little sunset cruise.”

In the viral TikTok, Ciapicak explained that he planned on changing the plaque out to “Jack & Jack Oct. 14, 2023” — their wedding date — after they tied the knot.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck before the pair walked down the aisle.

Lorentzen died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition at age 30 on Christmas Eve 2022 while visiting family.

On Oct. 14, 2023, family and friends gathered at the bench in Hudson River Park to honor and mourn the couple on what would have been their wedding day.

“I was grieving my past with him, but I was also grieving my future. We never got to walk down the aisle and get married,” Ciapciak told TODAY.

He began walking to the bench every day and watched it become a memorial where loved ones would leave flowers on random days or gather on momentous ones. It’s where a friend surprised the grieving fiancé with a cake the first time they celebrated Lorentzen’s without him and where his long-life besties gathered and got yelled at for illegally drinking in public — which he would have loved.

Ciapciak wanted the plaque to include a quote to honor his man — but struggled to choose the perfect words to have etched into the bench to encapsulate him.

Then, Ciapciak remembered a quote from Lorentzen’s favorite movie, “Never Been Kissed,” which says, “Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it.”

“Jack always said that once he came out and started living authentically, everything in his life fell into place,” Ciapciak said in a TikTok video. That’s why Ciapciak “decided this was the perfect message he’d want people walking by to see.”

“Some days I feel like he’s saying hi to me when the sun shines down on the bench,” he added, encouraging viewers to walk the West Side Highway and “visit Jack.”

Ciapciak began posting his daily thoughts on grief on TikTok in January to express his emotions — without feeling like he was burdening his loved ones. He quickly amassed over 30K followers as others connected with his heartache and shared stories of losing and missing loved ones.

He shared his heartbreaking saga last month to answer viewers’ questions and was joyously overwhelmed by the reactions and millions of views.

“For the first time, I feel like I’m finding meaning in his death,” Ciapciak told TODAY. “You know, the fact that this seems to have been helping so many other people has brought me so much peace, and I’m really grateful for it.” 

Ciapciak’s videos have been flooded with comments from millions of people begging for more of the story and suggesting he write a book, which, much to everyone’s delight, Ciapciak intends to do.

Others are using the epic love story to honor their own stories of grief and planning to visit the bench the next chance they get.

“When I finally visit New York I’m gonna sit on that bench and just breathe. Live in the moment for Jack, for my Mom, and both my siblings that passed,” one person commented, to which Ciapciak replied, “I hope you do!”