A man arrested for trying to throw a commuter into the path of an oncoming subway train in Manhattan died on Rikers Island Tuesday morning. It was the ninth reported death in NYC Department of Correction custody this year, officials said.
Cesar Gabriel Medero Curet, 36, who was being held at the Robert N. Davoren Center, died around 6:03 a.m., according to a DOC spokesperson.
A Correction Officer found Medero Curet in his bed and a “medical emergency was activated,” the DOC spokesperson said. What his condition was that sparked the medical alert and what time he was found were not immediately clear.
“The Department mourns the loss of Mr. Medero Curet who died while in our care,” said Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards. “The safety and well-being of everyone who lives and works with us will always be our highest priority.”
The Legal Aid Society, which represented Medero Curet, demanded a full investigation into his death.
“We mourn the passing of Cesar Gabriel Medero Curet, and our hearts are with his family, friends, and loved ones as they face this devastating loss,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “His family and counsel deserve answers, and any information about what happened must be shared with them promptly and transparently.”
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Todd Maisel/New York Daily News An aerial view of the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City. (Todd Maisel / New York Daily News)
Prison reform advocates renewed calls for the city to shut down Rikers Island in the wake of Medero Curet’s death.
“Another life lost on Rikers Island is another devastating reminder of the human cost of mass incarceration,” said Darren Mack, the co-director of Freedom Agenda. “We cannot continue to accept a system where people are dying pretrial. The time for action is now.”
Medero Curet was arrested for attacking a 64-year-old man at the 207th St. subway station in Inwood on March 7, 2025, cops said.
The victim was on a platform at the station waiting for a train when Medero Curet punched him in the face before attempting to throw him into the path of an oncoming train around 2:34 a.m., police said. It was not clear if it was random attack, but the two did not argue beforehand, police said.
The straphanger managed to flag down police and Medero Curet was arrested at the scene. He was initially slapped with reckless endangerment and assault, but at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court the charges against him were upgraded to attempted murder, records show.
He was initially held without bail after pleading not guilty, but his bail was later set at $150,000 cash, according to court records.