2 Inmates Die Less Than 1 Month Apart At NJ Federal Prison

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — A man serving a 10-year sentence was found dead at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix this week, officials said. He was the second person to die at the prison in less than a month.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Macos Sanchez-Santana, 34, died Wednesday at the Burlington County prison. Employees found him unresponsive around 3:15 a.m., the prison said in a statement.

Officials did not specify where in the prison he died.

Employees started life-saving measures and called emergency medical services to the prison. He was pronounced dead by EMS personnel, officials said.

The prison notified the FBI of Sanchez-Santana's death, officials said.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Sanchez-Santana was serving his sentence at Fort Dix after he was convicted in the District of Puerto Rico for conspiracy to import cocaine. He had been in custody at FCI Fort Dix since Aug. 27, 2024.

Sanchez-Santana's death comes less than a month after 34-year-old Javier Francisco Villalba-Reyes was found unresponsive by prison staff. According to officials, employees also attempted to resuscitate him, but EMS personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Villalba-Reyes was serving a four-year sentence for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He had been in the prison's custody for a little over a month.

The prison, also known as FCI Fort Dix, is a low-security institution located on the grounds of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.