Second Death In 24 Hours Reported At NYC Jail Complex

NEW YORK, NY— A 40-year-old man died Tuesday morning at Rikers Island after another person in custody found him unresponsive in his bed, marking the second death at the New York City jail complex in less than 24 hours.

The New York City Department of Correction said Umais Khan was discovered shortly before 11 a.m.

Staff members performed CPR until medical workers arrived, but Khan could not be revived.

Officials have not determined the cause of death.

Khan’s death came less than a day after Rajpattie Ramkellawan, 41, died Monday morning at the Rose M. Singer Center, the women’s jail on the Rikers complex.

The deaths bring the number of people who have died in or shortly after leaving city jail custody this year to at least four.

On Monday afternoon, dozens of public defenders, labor organizers and elected officials gathered outside Brooklyn Criminal Court to protest conditions of the City's criminal justice system after a woman gave birth in a courtroom late Friday.

Demonstrators marched along Jay Street carrying signs and chanting through bullhorns as they moved from 120 Schermerhorn St. to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, calling for investigations and systemic change

“I am devastated to learn of the death of a person in city custody this morning,” Mamdani said Tuesday, adding that the department and oversight agencies had begun investigating.

“Our administration remains firmly committed to the urgent and essential work of creating better conditions in our city’s jail system and closing Rikers Island as quickly as possible,” he said.

Federal monitors overseeing the jail system have repeatedly cited failures involving supervision, emergency response and medical care inside city jails.

Court records show Khan had prior theft-related arrests. Prosecutors said he was arrested May 5 after allegedly prying open the front door of a Manhattan residence near MacDougal and Prince streets and stealing a package.

Records show a judge remanded him without bail after he missed earlier court appearances.

Khan’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Selvena Brooks-Powers, who chairs the City Council committee overseeing criminal justice issues, called the deaths “alarming and unacceptable.”

“While we wait for further information, I’m calling for a swift, thorough investigation to understand what happened and how to prevent future deaths,” Brooks-Powers said. “Rikers should not be a death sentence; we must end this cycle.”

The deaths follow the March 25 death of Barry Cozart, 39, at the George R. Vierno Center and the death of John Price, 49, days after his transfer from Rikers to Elmhurst Hospital.

Department records show at least 15 people died in or shortly after leaving city jail custody last year.