Crime & Safety
Rikers Inmate Briefly Escapes In 5-Story Jail Barge Jump: Cops, Report
The inmate, 48, is near death following his Tuesday morning plunge into the East River, according to reports.
NEW YORK CITY — A Rikers Island inmate is near death after he briefly escaped by jumping five stories into the East River from a jail barge, according to police and reports.
The inmate — identified as a 48-year-old man by the New York Daily News — was dragged from the water by police, NYPD officials said.
Police referred further questions to Department of Corrections officials, who didn't respond to Patch's request for comment.
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The escape unfolded about 11:40 a.m. when the inmate climbed a rooftop recreation yard's fence on the Vernon C. Bain Center, a massive jail barge in the river, according to the Daily News report.
The man crawled through razor wire during his escape, the report states.
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Once beyond the fence, the man made a 50-foot plunge into the water, according to the report.
The jump apparently injured the man, who was unresponsive when police took him from the water, the report states.
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