Manhattan man likely died of appendicitis hours after leaving Rikers, family says

A Lower East Side man likely died of untreated appendicitis hours after his release from Rikers, according to his family, who said his lack of medical care while in jail was unjust.

Family members of Ariel Quidone, 20, said he was healthy when he was arrested on robbery charges on March 6. But eight days later, he was admitted to Elmhurst Hospital, where doctors performed surgery and found his appendix had ruptured. He later died of septic shock.

The death adds to the city jail complex’s grim reputation for poor medical care, as it remains behind schedule for closure and under consideration for federal takeover.

The facility has faced years of criticism for inhumane treatment.

“Had he been diagnosed, had he been attended to, this wouldn't have happened because an appendicitis shouldn't rupture,” said Ira Newman, the family’s lawyer.

He said Quidone's family members are still investigating because the hospital had told them Quidone had an unexplained lacerated liver, which they worry may have originated from an assault that took place in the jail.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Quidone's family members said he had called twice, fearing for his life. They said they began worrying about him after he failed to show up at a scheduled court appearance on March 12.

They said the city Department of Correction provided no information about his health and were told by his lawyer to call 311 for help locating him. They weren’t told he was sick until he was taken to the hospital, the family said.

“He was goofy. He made everyone laugh and smile,” said Kaylin Quidone, Ariel Quidone’s sister. “We want justice. We want to know what happened. We want answers.”

City Department of Correction officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The family is calling on the office of the New York state attorney general to investigate. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James said the office was conducting a preliminary assessment of the case, but did not provide further details.

“ Clearly there was either an assault of Ariel or a lack of proper medical care given to him for a situation that should not have occurred,” said Scott Rynecki, another family lawyer.

Because a judge released Quidone from custody the day before he died, the Department of Correction declined to provide any information about his death. In a statement, the agency wrote that “a person experienced a medical emergency” while in custody on March 13 and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.

“They release someone who is about to die at Rikers, thinking the public won't notice it was Rikers that killed them,” said Darren Mack, cofounder of the group Freedom Agenda.

Rikers is on pace to meet or exceed the number of detainee deaths last year, when five people who were in custody or had recently been released from custody died, according to the city Board of Correction.

Two other Rikers Island detainees, Terrence Moore, 55, and Ramel Powell, 38, died in custody last month, according to officials. The correction department said Moore died after having a seizure in the holding area of Manhattan court, but did not say how Powell died, and both deaths remain under investigation.

An independent commission released a report on Wednesday concluding that the city won’t meet its 2027 deadline for closing the Rikers Island complex – and did not provide a new target date. The report stated that at least 60 people have died while in custody at the troubled jail since 2020.