Rikers Island inmates sue NYC claiming they were trapped in cells during jail fire that injured 20

Published July 8, 2024 10:13 AM

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Inmates at New York City’s Rikers Island are suing the city claiming they were trapped in their cells during a jailhouse fire that injured 20 people last year. The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan says the 15 men were among those kept locked in their rooms by corrections officers as a fire burned through a housing unit for people with acute medical conditions. The April 6, 2023, blaze injured 15 jail staffers and five inmates and was set by an inmate. The city’s law department says it’s reviewing the suit and will respond in the litigation.

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