Rikers Island Guards Charged With Misconduct Related to Nicholas Feliciano
Ms. Feliciano is pleased that Darcel Clark and her team indicted and arrested the guards who should have been watching Nicholas Feliciano. Specifically, C.O. Hood, C.O. Wilson, C.O. Fullerton, and Cpt. Henry. These guards will be arraigned this morning.
On November 27, 2019, 18-year-old Nicholas Feliciano, who was previously known by DOC to be suicidal, attempted to hang himself in an intake pen at the George R. Vernon Center on Rikers Island. According to the Board of Correction’s review of this incident, he was hanging for 7 minutes and 51 seconds in plain view of Correction Officers, other people in custody, and members of FDNY emergency medical services before DOC staff pulled his arms behind his back and handcuffed him, which caused the clothing to suddenly release from his neck, and he fell to the ground.
For too long these officers have been working consequence free, now is the time for them to be brought to justice.
Madeline Feliciano, guardian and Grandmother of Nicolas Feliciano makes the following statement:
What happened to Nicholas is horrific and his whole life is affected by the callous disregard for his wellbeing from these officers, nothing can express the pain and suffering that Nicholas has been going through. These officers encourage and left him hanging knowing he suffer from Mental Health and Suicidal Ideations that is unacceptable. They have damaged his life because of their deliberate indifference is his wellbeing. Nicholas is still in a hospital his whole life has changed; our Family hearts have been broken seeing Nicholas fighting day to day. They took away a young boy’s future, not being able to finish school or work or even play ball or enjoy holidays with his family. His anoxic brain injury was caused because these officers left him hanging for seven mins and 51 seconds.
She further states that, “Every day I see Nicholas fighting and it’s been traumatic seeing the pain of him even trying to breath, eat, talk, and to learn how to live again. While these officers have been workings still at Rikers Island and Nicholas is still in the Hospital. These officers need to be held accountable for their actions.”
“The fact that these officers have been permitted to go about their lives for the past 32 months while Nicholas remains hospitalized is unconscionable” said Jonathan C. Moore, Senior Partner at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP.
“The City of New York has proven for years it is incapable of managing a humane jail. These indictments are another example of the festering sore that is Rikers Island. Rikers Island is a disgrace to our City and needs to be shut down immediately.” David B. Rankin, Partner at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP.
“The suffering that Nicholas Feliciano endured at the hands of these correction officers is appalling. The City of New York shows it cannot provide even the most basic level of safety for people detained at Rikers Island,” said Regina Powers, Associate Attorney at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP.
Ms. Feliciano is represented by Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP, the firm that is litigating the Rikers damage class action, Dunn v. City of New York, represented Eric Garner’s family and members of the Central Park 5, and co-counseled Floyd, the stop and frisk litigation.
Case documents and a video of Mr. Feliciano can be found here, https://we.tl/t-16sjlHorsT.
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