Gothamist77%
Medical examiner lists acute drug intoxication in all 3 NYPD booking deaths this year 21%
By Charles Lane36%
7/23/2026, 12:01:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 17 faulty reasoning types, including Hasty Generalization, Negativity Bias, and Self-Serving Bias, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 13.2% saturation with 89 hits. Analysis detected 619 faulty-reasoning hits from 672 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 35% and a BS Rank of 21% (17,375 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 79.40% of the article peer group.
All three people known to have died in NYPD booking facilities so far this year had acute drug intoxication listed among the causes of their deaths, according to newly released findings from the city's medical examiner.
The rulings cover Vincent Thoms, Zamiqua Miller and Hector Sierra — the only three people known to have died while being held at NYPD booking facilities so far this year.
The medical examiner classified each death as an accident.
Cocaine, fentanyl or other drugs were cited in each cause of death.
By comparison, people who died in NYPD custody in 2025 died from a range of causes, including natural disease, suicide and acute drug intoxication, according to medical examiner records.
The findings do not establish when the three consumed the drugs or whether any were consumed while they were in NYPD custody.
An NYPD spokesperson said an internal investigation that reviewed body-worn camera footage, CCTV and personal observations by officers found no evidence that suggests the three used drugs while in custody.
Each of the three was being held for arraignment in NYPD custody rather than at Rikers Island, where deaths trigger public review by the Board of Correction.
The city's Department of Investigation is examining all deaths in NYPD custody, an inquiry it opened in 2025 amid a string of such deaths.
Thoms, 51, was arrested on March 22 on a shoplifting charge at a CVS in East Harlem and taken to central booking just before 5 p.m., police said.
The NYPD said he became combative and was placed in the facility's medical holding area, where he suffered multiple seizures around 6 p.m.
He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:09 p.m.
The medical examiner attributed his death to a seizure disorder complicating acute intoxication from cocaine and the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA.
Miller, 33, was arrested on drug charges on April 10 and taken to Brooklyn Central Booking.
Over the next day-and-a-half, police said, officers twice called EMS as she showed symptoms of drug withdrawal, and she was taken to two different hospitals — Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Methodist Hospital — and discharged back to central booking each time.
She was pronounced dead by EMS in central booking six hours after her return from the hospital, authorities said.
Her death was attributed to acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, beta-hydroxyfentanyl, methadone and cocaine.
Sierra, 51, was arrested on April 18 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, after being stopped for fare evasion and later charged with drug possession, officials said.
He was held overnight at Brooklyn Central Booking.
Officers found him vomiting around 11 a.m. the next day, according to authorities.
He was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Cobble Hill, where he later fell unconscious and was pronounced dead at 1:04 p.m., officials said.
The medical examiner attributed his death to acute intoxication from fentanyl, beta-hydroxyfentanyl and cocaine.
A City Hall spokesperson said all three people were screened by medical staff from Correctional Health Services after arriving at central booking.
"The safety of every person in custody is a top priority for the Mamdani administration,” Sam Raskin said.
“We are reviewing every stage of the process, from arrest through arraignment, to identify any changes needed to protect the health and safety of everyone who enters the system.”
He said the review will include the NYPD, public defenders, district attorneys and others.
The Legal Aid Society, which represented Miller, said the deaths reflect a broader problem — criticizing the NYPD's practice of holding people on low-level, non-bail-eligible charges while they await arraignment.
"Once the NYPD chooses to keep someone in custody, it assumes responsibility for that person's well-being," said Amanda Jack, the group's director of policy for criminal law reform.
"People experiencing a substance-use crisis or withdrawal need timely medical care, and they should not remain in prolonged police custody while awaiting arraignment on low-level offenses."
She added, "No charge is more important than a person's life.”
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100%flagged-word coverageAmanda Jack
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