Man dies in custody at Rikers Island, 1st inmate death there in 2026

A 39-year-old man died while in custody at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex, according to city officials. It is the first inmate death reported at the facility this year.

Barry Cozart was found in need of medical aid Wednesday morning at the George R. Vierno Center, one of the detention centers on Rikers Island, Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards said. A staff member performed CPR, but Cozart could not be revived and was pronounced dead at about 11:33 a.m.

Officials have not released a cause of death. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Department of Correction is investigating.

“I am deeply troubled to learn that a person in custody died on Rikers Island this morning,” Mamdani said. “My thoughts are with their loved ones, who are now facing an unimaginable loss.”

“Transparency and accountability are essential, and the Department of Correction is conducting an investigation,” he said. “While we do not yet know the cause of death, too many have died on Rikers Island for far too long. Rikers must close, and we will pursue every avenue to do so as quickly as possible.”

Cozart was being held on charges stemming from a Nov. 14 arrest in Queens, according to the New York Daily News. The newspaper reported he was accused of trespassing inside a single-family home in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood and was charged with criminal trespass, burglary, criminal mischief and petty larceny.

The New York Daily News also reported that Cozart had been arrested more than 20 times before, with prior charges including burglary, robbery, criminal possession of a controlled substance and offenses related to domestic violence.

According to the Vera Institute of Justice, 15 inmates died at Rikers Island in 2025.