A 64-year-old man died Friday after experiencing a medical episode while in the custody of the New York Police Department at a Harlem precinct, according to police sources. The incident occurred after officers responded to a call regarding a "violent male" with a weapon at a home on East 119th Street around 11:30 a.m.
Officers arrested the man for criminal mischief and menacing before transporting him to the 25th Precinct station house. At the precinct, which he arrived at approximately 12:15 p.m., officers asked if he required medical attention, a standard procedure. The man reportedly declined assistance.
About five minutes later, he began to suffer a medical episode. Police officers initiated life-saving measures. An ambulance then transported the man to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly before 1:30 p.m.
The man’s identity is pending family notification. The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing body-worn camera footage of the incident. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.
This death marks at least the third in NYPD custody this year. In April, two individuals died while in custody after experiencing withdrawal symptoms, according to police. One was a 51-year-old man arrested for fare evasion, and the other was a 33-year-old woman arrested for drug possession.