Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Man in Rikers custody dies after being taken to hospital, officials say
By
Andrew Giambrone
Published Nov 21, 2025
Modified Nov 21, 2025
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
Andrew Giambrone
Published Nov 21, 2025
Modified Nov 21, 2025
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 man detained at the Rikers Island jails died overnight after he was rushed to the hospital during a medical episode, city Department of Correction officials said Friday.
A guard found Edwin Ramos, 38, in distress in a bathroom at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center around 12:05 a.m., according to the agency. The guard provided aid to Ramos, who was then taken to a Rikers clinic and ultimately a nearby hospital, officials said.
The nonprofit Legal Aid Society, which represented Ramos, said he had been expected to take a plea deal Friday morning. Ramos was arrested in August on an attempted burglary charge for an incident in Brooklyn in July, public records show.
Authorities said they will investigate Ramos' death and reported it to state and local officials as required. In a statement, the Legal Aid Society also demanded that details of his death be disclosed to family, loved ones and counsel. It said Ramos' father learned of his son's death in court, and that counsel learned through the press, calling it "disgraceful" and "unacceptable" that they didn't hear directly from the Department of Correction.
"The care of everyone who resides in our facilities is our highest priority, and we mourn his loss," Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones."
Ramos is the 13th person who has died at or shortly after being released from Rikers so far this year, according to Gothamist's tracking of Department of Correction reports. That total is more than double the number of detainee deaths for all of last year.
This is a developing story and has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
Rikers Island
new york city
public safety
Andrew Giambrone
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE 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
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
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
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
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 .