UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 6, 2014 (November 3, 2014)

New York REIT, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Appointment of Michael A. Happel as Treasurer and Secretary to Replace Edward M. Weil, Jr.

On November 3, 2014, in light of his recent appointment as chief executive officer of RCS Capital Corporation, Edward M. Weil, Jr. resigned from his role as treasurer and secretary of New York REIT, Inc. (the “Company”), effective as of that same date. Mr. Weil did not resign pursuant to any disagreement with the Company. Mr. Weil also resigned from his role as treasurer and secretary of the Company’s advisor and property manager. Simultaneously with Mr. Weil’s resignation from his role as treasurer and secretary of the Company, the Company’s board of directors appointed Michael A. Happel, currently the president of the Company, to serve as the Company’s treasurer and secretary. Mr. Happel will also continue to serve in his capacity as president of the Company. Mr. Happel will also replace Mr. Weil as treasurer and secretary of the Company’s advisor and property manager. There are no related party transactions involving Mr. Happel that are reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

Mr. Happel, 51, has served as executive vice president, chief investment officer and as an observer to the board of directors of the Company since its formation in October 2009, and, in March 2014, was promoted to president of the Company. Mr. Happel also served as executive vice president and chief investment officer of the Company’s advisor and property manager from their respective formations in November 2009 until March 2014, and in March 2014, was promoted to president of the Company’s advisor and property manager. Mr. Happel has served as president of American Realty Capital New York City REIT, Inc. (“ARC NYCR”), the ARC NYCR advisor and the ARC NYCR property manager since their respective formations in December 2013. Mr. Happel has over 20 years of experience investing in real estate, including office, retail, multifamily, industrial, and hotel properties, as well as real estate companies. From 1988 to 2002, he worked at Morgan Stanley & Co., specializing in real estate and becoming co-head of acquisitions for the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds, or MSREF, in 1994. While at MSREF, he was involved in acquiring over $10 billion of real estate and related assets in MSREF I and MSREF II. As stated in a report prepared by Wurts & Associates for the Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association for the period ending September 30, 2008, MSREF I generated approximately a 48% gross internal rate of return for investors and MSREF II generated approximately a 27% gross internal rate of return for investors. In 2002, Mr. Happel left Morgan Stanley & Co. to join Westbrook Partners, a large real estate private equity firm with over $5 billion of real estate assets under management at the time. From October 2004 to May 2009, he worked at Atticus Capital, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund, as the head of real estate with responsibility for investing primarily in REITs and other publicly traded real estate securities. Mr. Happel received a B.A. in economics from Duke University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.