NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Another Rikers Island detainee died on Friday, marking the 13th detainee to have passed away this year as the troubled jail complex grapples with an ongoing safety crisis.
Victor Mercado, 64, of the Bronx, passed away after he was transported to Elmhurst Hospital, the Department of Correction confirmed. Mercado had been detained in the Rikers infirmary since this summer.
“I am heartbroken to learn of Mr. Mercado’s passing, and we mourn his loss together as a city," said Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi in a statement. "While city officials are working quickly to identify the cause of death, our department is more committed than ever to improve safety across the jail system for staff and detainees.”
A DOC spokesperson said it is still investigating Mercado's cause of death. Though his lawyer told 1010 WINS that Mercado had contacted COVID-19 and was transported to the hospital after falling ill.
Marcado had been held at Rikers on a weapons charge after police said they found a gun in a car that they alleged belonged to Mercado. Though he had denied the weapon was his, the New York Times reported.
Several progressive elected officials, including Congressional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called for Mayor Bill de Blasio to close the jail immediately.
AOC joined her colleagues Ritchie Torres and Carolyn B. Maloney on another tour of the complex earlier this week, calling the situation a “humanitarian crisis.”
“Today, we saw firsthand the horrific conditions that individuals incarcerated on Rikers Island are living under and the support staff and corrections officers are working under,” the three said in a statement after the tour.
“It is inexcusable that the number of in-custody deaths on Rikers Island has more than quadrupled over the past two years, including five individuals who have died of suspected suicides this year alone,” they added.
De Blasio has announced a host of new reforms that aim to better address safety and staffing at the jail complex, though he has resisted closing the complex before the city’s target of 2026.
Elected officials have called for the mayor to release detainees being held on charges for low-level offenses as they await their trials.
Nearly 200 inmates were scheduled to be released last month from Rikers under the Less is More Act, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The act allows people accused of technical violations to bypass automatic jail time in a local prison. It also ensures that parolees will not be sent back to prison for non-criminal violations of their parole.
Related
Related
