A 31-year-old man named Joshua Valles died at Elmhurst Hospital Saturday after suffering a medical episode while in custody on Rikers Island, becoming the third detainee in city jails to die this year, amidst pushback by the Adams administration to a damning report by the federal monitor overseeing city jails and new calls for a federal takeover.
Valles was the 22nd detainee in city jails to die since Eric Adams became mayor in January 2022.
The 31-year-old’s case had been highlighted, albeit anonymously, in last week’s report by federal monitor Steve Martin. Valles had reportedly complained to medical staff at the Anna M. Kross Center about headaches and been transported on his own volition to Elmhurst Hospital, where Corrections Commissioner Louis Molina reported he “quickly took a turn for the worse” and was placed on life support before succumbing on May 27.
