A corrections vehicle leaves Rikers Island
Photo by Dean Moses
Another NYC inmate died early on Sunday morning after being transferred to a nearby hospital from the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island, NYC Department of Correction (DOC) officials said.
According to the DOC, 49-year-old inmate John Price had asked Rikers’ staff for medical attention on March 28, and was brought the same day to Elmhurst Hospital just after 5:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the hospital the following day at 5:37 a.m.
The DOC did not provide details on Price’s medical condition or the symptoms he experienced prior to being taken to the hospital.
“The Department mourns the loss of an individual who passed away in our care,” Stanely Richards, NYC Correction Commissioner, said. “The safety, support, and well-being of every person entrusted to us are of the highest importance. This loss weighs heavily on all of us and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared his condolences to Price’s family on X.
“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they endure this profound loss,” he said. “Every person in our city’s care deserves dignity, safety and access to quality medical treatment, without exception.”
The mayor also said DOC and oversight partners have begun an investigation into the circumstances of Price’s death. The department said it notified the federal monitor, the Board of Correction, the State Attorney General’s Office, the City Department of Investigation, the State Commission of Correction, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Bronx and Queens District Attorneys.
Rikers Island has long undergone scrutiny regarding conditions and inmate deaths. City officials are behind schedule for a plan to close the facility. Rikers Island is a city jail, but currently under federal oversight.
Price’s death follows the death of 39-year-old Barry Cozart at Rikers’ George R. Vierno Center on March 25. According to a WPIX article, he was in need of medical attention at the facility, and was given CPR before being pronounced dead at 11:33 a.m.
According to the Vera Institute of Justice, an organization that advocates to end mass incarceration, 15 people died in DOC custody in 2025.