Detainee who hanged himself in Manhattan holding cell becomes 14th NYC jails death this year
A detainee who used a shoestring to hang himself Thursday in a Manhattan criminal court holding cell has died, Correction Department officials said.
Anthony Scott, 58, was found unresponsive about 4:45 p.m. in an admission cell at Central Booking after he was arrested for assaulting a nurse at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia. He was about to be transported to Rikers Island.
He died Tuesday in intensive care at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.
A source said as many as four correction officers were nearby when Scott tied the shoestring to a partition at about 4:25 p.m. DOC officials said the incident is under investigation.
“Anthony Shabazz Scott was a son, a brother, a father, a friend, and a grandfather,” his family said in a statement. “He was kind, he was generous, he was funny, and he was resilient. He was resilient because he navigated a difficult life with limited support as an African American man with disabilities.”
Scott was on the autism spectrum and struggled with drug addiction. His mental and physical health had deteriorated over the past seven months — but he had difficulty getting medications, his family said.
“What occurred is deplorable,” the family said. “[He] was a well-loved and valuable human being that was worthy of a better ending of his life. He will be sorely missed.”
Scott is the 14th detainee to die in city custody so far this year, a grim sign of crisis conditions at Rikers Island and other lockups. While on his deathbed, a court granted Scott compassionate release.
Scott was arrested about 4 a.m. on Wednesday, after he allegedly punched a nurse at Columbia-Presbyterian in the face, court records show. He was charged with assault.
Prosecutors asked for cash bail of $30,000, citing Scott’s lengthy arrest record, including two prior violent felony convictions.
Judge Nestor Diaz set bail at $15,000 cash or $45,000 bond.
Scott reached the holding area at Manhattan Criminal Court about 1 p.m. Thursday. Less than four hours later he jammed a lock to his cell and hanged himself, records show.
Firefighters arrived roughly a half-hour later and helped correction staff open the door. Medics tried to revive him and rushed him to the hospital.
“No one should be in the care of the Department of Corrections if they cannot keep people safe,” said the family’s lawyer David Rankin. “No prosecutor should be asking bail, no judge should be setting bail. No one, no one in our City should be subjected to this level of neglect.”
Scott had 136 prior arrests and had just been in Manhattan Central Booking three days earlier on a previous bust.
Scott also served three prior stints in state prison. He was released on parole in March 2020 after serving just over five years for a burglary and drug possession conviction.
He’d previously done time in prison for attempted burglary and robbery.
“Throughout his life, Mr. Scott was continually criminalized for his struggle with mental illness, and our criminal legal system has never had the comprehensive tools necessary to serve New Yorkers with acute needs like Mr. Scott,” said Tina Luongo, Attorney-In-Charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society.
At least six detainees have died following suicide attempts while in custody since November.
Scott’s death came only four days after Victor Mercado, 64, died after testing positive for coronavirus while at Rikers on weapons and drugs charges.
