Rikers Island detainee dies in custody, marking first such death of 2025, city says

A man detained at the Rikers Island jail complex died in custody Wednesday morning, marking the first detainee death so far this year, officials said.

The city Department of Correction said it was still investigating the death and identified the man as 38-year-old Ramel Powell. He was pronounced dead at around 2:15 a.m. at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, according to officials, who provided no further details on how he died.

The jails agency said it had notified the federal monitor overseeing the notorious jail complex, as well as the city Board of Correction, state attorney general’s office, state correction commission and city Department of Investigation.

“I, and the entire NYC Department of Correction, express our deepest sympathy to the loved ones of Mr. Powell,” said Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, the city’s correction commissioner, in a statement. “We are conducting a full investigation into this tragic event.”

Five people died last year while in the department's custody or shortly after their release, according to the Board of Correction. That was down from 19 in 2022, the year with the highest death rate for detainees in more than two decades.

Rikers is facing a potential federal takeover following long-standing allegations of violence and sexual abuse at the facility. But Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and attorneys representing plaintiff-detainees in the case were still working out an agreement over what such a takeover would look like, the news outlet The City reported last month.

This is a developing story and has been updated.