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Rikers detainee dies from medical emergency at jail, NYC correction agency says
By
Paige Oamek
Published Jul 22, 2025
Modified Jul 23, 2025
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Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images
By
Paige Oamek
Published Jul 22, 2025
Modified Jul 23, 2025
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A man detained at the notorious Rikers Island jail complex died on Tuesday due to a medical emergency, jail officials said, marking the ninth reported death of someone in or recently released from the New York City Department of Correction's custody so far this year.
An officer found Edwin Quispe, 33, on a bathroom floor at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Tuesday morning and provided him aid, according to the agency. Medical staff responded, but Quispe could not be revived and was pronounced dead around 8:30 a.m., officials said.
The correction department said it alerted state and local authorities to the death as required, but did not immediately say what the medical emergency entailed.
“Every loss of life that occurs in our care is investigated and we will thoroughly examine what occurred in this instance,” Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said in a statement.
Jail and court records show Quispe was arrested in May and was awaiting trial on sex charges involving a child.
Earlier this month, a Rikers detainee with cancer died while receiving palliative care at a local hospital, a day after his attorney said he asked the court to release his client from custody. In June, two detainees died in separate incidents on the same day in Department of Correction custody.
Five people died at or shortly after being released from Rikers last year, according to the city Board of Correction, meaning the complex is on track to double that number this year. The City Council last week passed legislation setting more stringent requirements for jail officials to promptly notify the families of those who die in custody, but Mayor Eric Adams has not said whether he will sign it.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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Rikers Island
new york city
public safety
Paige Oamek
Paige Oamek is a reporter on Gothamist & WNYC's day-of general assignment desk.
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