Rikers Detainee Dies After Hospital Transfer in Second Death This Week

Overview

• John Price, 49, requested medical care at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Saturday evening and was moved to Elmhurst Hospital around 5:30 p.m., then was pronounced dead at 5:37 a.m. Sunday.
• The Department of Correction and the mayor said an investigation is underway, with notifications sent to the federal monitor, the city Board of Correction, state and city investigators, the state correction commission, the medical examiner, and the Bronx and Queens district attorneys.
• Officials have not disclosed Price’s medical condition or symptoms before the transfer, and no details have been released about the care he received at the jail or the hospital.
• The death follows Wednesday’s death of 39-year-old Barry Cozart at the George R. Vierno Center, marking two in-custody deaths at Rikers within one week.
• Rikers remains under federal oversight as the city lags on a closure plan, and watchdogs reported 15 people died in Department of Correction custody in 2025.