Rikers detainee dies from apparent medical episode, fifth NYC jail death in 6 weeks

Graham Rayman, New York Daily News on Apr 1, 2025

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NEW YORK — A 27-year-old man held on Rikers Island died Monday night, bringing the total number of jail deaths there to five in 2025.

According to the New York City Department of Correction account, staffers saw that Dashawn Jenkins was “visibly ill” at the George R. Vierno Center about 9:18 p.m.

They provided aid and notified medical staff, but the man died at 9:56 p.m., the DOC account states.

The man entered the jail system on July 18 on attempted murder and assault charges from July 16 in Midtown Manhattan, court records show. He was also charged with a July 6 burglary in Flushing.

“His untimely death, just one day after his 27th birthday, makes this tragedy all the more devastating and demands an immediate, swift and independent investigation,” said Audrey Martin, a spokeswoman for the Legal Aid Society.

Martin called out the fact that the city provides only bare-bones information about each death.

“This tragic incident is a stark reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis unfolding at Rikers Island, which houses more people with mental illness than any psychiatric hospital in the entire city,” Martin added.

Mayor Eric Adams said an autopsy needs to be conducted in the latest death before conclusions can be drawn.

“We must be honest with ourselves. By the time many people reach Rikers, they are dealing with real health and substance abuse issues,” he said at City Hall.

“We know we have brought down violence on the island. An autopsy will determine the reason for this death. Let’s not kids ourselves: People don’t come in with the best care. If you look at the causes of death, they were medical-related deaths.”

The death was the fifth since Feb. 19, when Ramel Powell died at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center. That total matches the jail death total for all of 2024.

There have also been two deaths in NYPD custody in the period.

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