Aramis Furse, 32, died in custody on Sunday morning at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, marking the 14th death at New York City’s Rikers Island complex this year, Correction Department officials said. The inmate was reported “unwell” around 2 a.m., rushed to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, and was declared dead less than an hour later. No details have been released about the exact circumstances of his passing.
City Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley‑Liddie expressed the department’s sorrow, saying, “The department is mourning the tragic death of an individual in custody,” and added, “We extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family. The safety of everyone in our care is always our foremost concern, and we will fully investigate this tragedy.”
Furse had pending charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, including robbery, grand larceny, burglary and criminal‑mischief, and was being held on a $45,000 cash bail or a $150,000 bond.
The tragedy follows another recent loss at Rikers: 38‑year‑old Edwin Ramos died after being found “in medical distress inside a bathroom” on November 21. Ramos was taken first to the jailhouse clinic and then to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Overall, nine deaths were recorded at city jails in 2024 and five in 2023.
The Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice, a community group that has long highlighted conditions at Rikers, released a statement on Sunday. They noted that 47 inmates have died at the jail since the beginning of 2022 and accused the department of “utterly failing at its responsibilities.” Advocacy Director Yonah Zeitz warned that inmates continue to face “immense violence, medical neglect and preventable deaths.”
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