Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lab Tests Confirm That Rikers Meatloaf Had Rat Poison
By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2015
Modified Apr 28, 2015
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 .
By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2015
Modified Apr 28, 2015
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 lawyer representing 19 inmates who are suing the Department of Correction over allegations of rat poison in their food says laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of poison, the Daily News reports.
According to the tabloid, New Jersey lab EMSL Analytical found traces of Brodifacoum, which is marketed as rodenticide, in a sample of meatloaf. The Department of Corrections is conducting separate testing at an outside lab, because the Department of Health didn't have the right equipment to perform the test on "blue and green pellets" in the meat, the News reports.
In March, Joanne Squillace, the inmates' lawyer, filed a lawsuit that alleged the inmates experienced "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding" after eating the meatloaf in question on March 3rd, and did not receive fair medical treatment.
Around the same time, then-Rikers inmate Ramsey Orta stopped eating prepared food, fearing a similar incident. However, at the time his lawyer, Kenneth Perry, told us that he was not aware of any connection between the 19 inmates' case, and Orta.
Orta's hunger strike drew considerable attention on social media, as well as contributions to a GoFundMe page that ultimately covered his bail, and then some. At the time, the Free Thought Project urged its readers to support Orta, explaining that, "While in prison, Orta has taken seemingly drastic measures to ensure that he is not killed by the gang he witnessed murder Eric Garner. Orta has been refusing to eat, as he fears that guards may poison him because he is a high-profile opponent of police brutality."
(This week, Orta received a Best "Spot News Video" award from the New York Press Club for his cell-phone video of a police officer implementing a deadly and illegal chokehold on Eric Garner.)
Tagged
jail food
meatloaf
Ramsey Orta
rat poison
rikers
Emma Whitford
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
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 .