A 51-year-old man busted in Brooklyn for fare evasion and crack possession fell ill as he was being processed and died, police said Monday.
The cause of Hector Sierra’s death will be determined by an autopsy.
Police believe Sierra was showing signs of drug withdrawal when he started vomiting Sunday inside Central Booking, the holding area for suspects at Brooklyn Criminal Court on Schermerhorn St. in Downtown Brooklyn.
Medics rushed him to NYU Langone Health Cobble Hill Emergency Department, where he died.
Sierra was arrested 7:50 p.m. Saturday at the 18th Ave. subway stop on the N line in Bensonhurst.
At the 62nd Precinct stationhouse less than 20 minutes later, Sierra was asked if he needed to see a doctor but said he was fine, an NYPD official said police body-worn camera footage shows.
But while in Brooklyn Central Booking on Sunday, Sierra, who hadn’t yet been arraigned, started vomiting at 11:01 a.m., prompting police to call for medics.
Sierra was rushed to the hospital and was in the waiting room for about an hour when he started vomiting again about 12:45 p.m. He died at 1:04 p.m., police said.
Last Sunday, Zamiqua Miller, 33, died in NYPD custody in Brooklyn Central Booking after two trips to the hospital within a 24-hour span.
Police at the time said her death may have been the result of a medical episode or an overdose. No cause of death has been determined yet.