Two men held in custody by the New York City Correction Department died on the same day, officials said.
Benjamin Kelly, 37, was in medical distress when found by an officer around 3 p.m. Friday in his cell at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island.
Kelly, who had been detained since May 20 on petit larceny and trespassing offenses, was pronounced dead at 3:31 p.m.
The second detainee went into medical distress at around 4:30 p.m. while on a bus heading to the Taylor Center.
He was declared dead at 4:49 p.m. despite staff’s efforts to revive him.
Officials said the man had just been released from a hospital. One of the two deaths is being investigated as a suicide, while the second was possibly the result of an overdose.
“The news of two more lives lost on Rikers is heartbreaking,” Councilwoman Sandy Nurse said.
“My deepest condolences go out to the families of those who passed. This underscores the urgent need for Mayor Adams to treat the crisis at Rikers with the seriousness it demands while he remains in office.”
