Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
An apparent escape attempt turned deadly Tuesday for a man held at a New York City jail
By
Matt Katz
Published Sep 21, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
By
Matt Katz
Published Sep 21, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An incarcerated man who jumped from a jail barge on the East River on Tuesday died nearly 12 hours later from injuries he sustained in the apparent escape attempt, according to the New York City Department of Correction.
Gregory Acevedo, 48, climbed a high recreation yard fence at the top of the Vernon C. Bain Center Jail — a barge that sits off Hunts Point in the Bronx and is commonly known as “the boat.” Sources familiar with the facility say Acevedo, who is listed in correction documents as just 110 pounds, would have had to navigate razor wire before leaping into the river, where medics from the FDNY rescued him.
Acevedo was then hospitalized in Queens, and pronounced dead just before 11 p.m. Tuesday. Acevedo is the 15th person to die in city custody or shortly after being released this year. Sixteen died last year.
“Mr. Acevedo’s tragic passing is an immense loss,” said Louis Molina, commissioner of the city's Department of Correction, in a statement. “We are conducting a preliminary investigation of this incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones at this difficult time.”
Acevedo was awaiting trial on a robbery charge. If he had been convicted, that charge would also have violated his parole from a previous criminal conviction.
This is the ninth escape from city correctional facilities since the 2018 fiscal year, according to city data. There were three last year alone, including a man who also jumped into the East River but was later found alive.
Acevedo’s death gave fodder to critics who see the jails system as a humanitarian crisis in need of federal intervention through having its operations taken over by a receiver.
The Department of Correction has implemented an “action plan” to improve conditions, but the latest data shows skyrocketing levels of violence, weapons, and critical injuries. A federal judge will review the progress of the action plan in November, and could then consider motions to appoint a federal receiver.
“There’s no reason to wait until November to make this decision,” said DeRay McKesson, executive director of the activist group Campaign Zero, in a statement. “The hearing date should be moved up, and a federal receiver should be appointed immediately. This department cannot fix itself.”
Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated the day Gregory Acevedo died. He died on Tuesday.
Tagged
death
vernon c. bain prison barge
prison
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .