Man who died in Bellevue jail unit was repeatedly ignored by staff, new lawsuit says

A new lawsuit was filed against the city claiming staff ignored the complaints of Christopher Rodriguez, who died while in DOC custody at Bellevue Hospital. Photo via DOC

By Noah Powelson

A man who died while in custody was repeatedly ignored by both correctional officers and hospital staff when he tried to voice concerns about his health, a new lawsuit filed on Monday claims.

The family of Christopher Rodriguez, a 36-year-old man who died inside Bellevue Hospital’s jail unit for detainees last week, sued the city and the Department of Correction for alleged medical malpractice leading to Rodriguez’s death.

The complaint claims that staff at the recently opened outposted therapeutic housing unit at Bellevue Hospital ignored Rodriguez complaints and failed to give him proper treatment for his epilepsy and mental illness, leading to his death. Hospital staff allegedly allowed Rodriguez’s condition to deteriorate and failed to treat his seizures or provide him with proper medication, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleged that Rodriguez may have been physically abused by correctional guards and/or other incarcerated individuals while he was on Rikers Island.

Robert Vilensky, the attorney who brought the suit, said Rodriguez's situation was not just a one-time incident, but an example of a systemic problem with DOC ignoring detainees who are voicing health concerns.

“There appears to be a systemic failure on the part of DOC to take inmates' complaints and illnesses seriously, leading to the unfortunate death of a young 36-year-old father of two as well as several deaths of others,” Vilensky told the Eagle in a statement.

Rodriguez was first placed in DOC custody on Nov. 26, 2025, and faced charges for assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance across Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

He was being held in Rikers Island and was eventually moved to the outposted therapeutic housing unit at Bellevue Hospital, which is designed to hold detainees with complex medical needs. Rodriguez reportedly had several underlying medical issues, including epilepsy.

On Aug. 19, Rodriguez was found in “medical distress in his housing area” inside the outposted therapeutic housing unit, according to the DOC. In the lawsuit, Vilensky said that Rodriguez eventually fell unconscious at some point during the day, and was pronounced dead at 8:39 a.m.

The DOC and the city’s Law Department did not provide a comment on the new lawsuit.

In a previous statement, DOC Commissioner Stanley Richards said the department would conduct an investigation into Rodriguez's death. The investigation is reportedly ongoing.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Rodriguez,” Richards said. “Our entire Department mourns his loss. We share our deepest condolences to Mr. Rodriguez’s loved ones during this difficult time. We will conduct a thorough investigation in coordination with the appropriate city and state authorities.”

Rodriguez was the sixth person to die in DOC custody this year, and the first person to have died in Bellevue’s new outposted therapeutic housing unit.

The 104-bed housing unit is a part of the city’s ongoing efforts to close Rikers Island, and is the first of what will eventually be one of three similar units in city hospitals. The units were described by advocates as humane alternatives for detainees suffering from serious illness, as well as a way to lower the population on Rikers Island and progress towards the jail’s closure.

After long delays, the Bellevue housing unit finished construction in 2025, but sat vacant as DOC struggled to reach full staffing.

Staffing problems were a constant roadblock in the city’s efforts to get the Bellevue housing ward opened. Even two weeks before the facility finally opened, Richards told the City Council that the DOC “face[s] challenges on staffing” to get the facility operational.

While it appeared the Mamdani administration managed to resolve those issues and find the 130 to 140 staff members needed to open the facility, Rodriguez’s death may indicate problems aren’t over.

In the lawsuit filed on Monday, Rodriguez’s attorneys also listed “inadequate staffing” as one of factors contributing to him not receiving proper treatment.

When Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office, he vowed to kick start the city’s efforts to meet its legal requirement of closing Rikers Island by 2027, a deadline that experts say is now impossible to meet.

The Bellevue housing unit was staffed and officially opened in April, and the mayor said efforts were underway to open the next two facilities at Woodhull and North Central Bronx Hospitals.