Rikers Island Detainee Dies After Medical Emergency, Officals Say

NEW YORK CITY — A 33-year-old man, who was detained at Rikers Island, died on Tuesday after suffering a medical episode, according to Department of Correction officials and a report.

Officers found Edwin Quispe unresponsive on the floor around 8:30 a.m. at the Eric M. Taylor Center, according to officials and a Gothamist report.

EMS tried to revive Quispe, but were unsuccessful. The 33-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Department of Correction officials have not disclosed specifics about the medical emergency as of Wednesday evening.

“Every loss of life that occurs in our care is investigated, and we will thoroughly examine what occurred in this instance,” Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said in a statement to Gothamist.

Tuesday's incident marks the ninth reported death of someone in or recently released from the city's Department of Correction's custody this year.

Five people died at or shortly after being released from Rikers last year, according to the report.