Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Brooklyn man dies after medical emergency at NYPD holding facility
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 20, 2026
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 .
Getty Images
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 20, 2026
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
A 51-year-old man died Sunday after becoming ill while in custody at a Brooklyn holding facility, according to the NYPD.
Hector Sierra was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Hospital-Cobble Hill after police requested emergency medical services for him at Brooklyn Central Booking on Schermerhorn Street around 11 a.m., police said.
Officers called EMS for a sick prisoner, and Sierra was taken to the hospital, where he later died, according to police. The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating.
Police said Sierra had been arrested Saturday night near the N and W station at 18th Avenue and 64th Street in Bensonhurst. He was initially stopped for alleged fare evasion, and later charged with offenses including criminal possession of stolen property, tampering with physical evidence and drug possession, according to court records.
Authorities said Sierra showed signs of drug withdrawal while awaiting arraignment and declined medical attention, citing body-worn camera footage. The footage has not yet been released.
On Sunday morning, officers found him in his cell vomiting and called EMS, police said.
Details about the circumstances leading up to his death, including the cause and whether he received medical care while in custody, were not immediately clear.
Sierra had not yet been assigned an attorney, according to court records.
Sierra is at least the fifth person to die this year while in NYPD or city correctional custody. His death is the latest in a series of in-custody deaths in New York City this year.
A 33-year-old woman died earlier this month while being held at Brooklyn Central Booking after experiencing withdrawal symptoms, according to police.
In March, a 51-year-old man died while in custody at Manhattan Central Booking after suffering seizures, according to police and court records. Another man died after a medical episode at Rikers Island and a fourth died after being transferred from the jail to a hospital.
Tagged
brooklyn
public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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 .