Well, if you're bringing people to NY, then you presumably have to take them back FROM NY.
I don't think AA will ever try to be NYC's "hometown airline," and indeed as far as I can recall they've never really advertised that as a goal (unlike B6, where that's literally their main message, and DL/UA, which in the past have run massive local ad campaigns touting their destination networks via billboards, ads on the top of taxis, etc. I can't recall any similar AA marketing within the city at all.)
That said, AA is clearly trying to capture rich locals' money. They have lots of nonstops from JFK to Caribbean destinations - just looking at today's departures, there's Montego Bay, Punta Cana, St. Thomas, Antigua, Cancún... And during normal, non-pandemic times, they have a lot more flights to luxury resort destinations and the like.