NEW YORK (PIX11) – A Rikers Island inmate locked up for an alleged burglary died in the custody of the jail Tuesday, officials said. 

Forty-year-old Felix Taveras was housed in the Anna M. Koss Correctional Facility and reported a medical condition just before midnight, officials said. Taveras was taken to the facility’s clinic for medical care. He was later transported to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m. 

“The cause of death is still being investigated but based on a preliminary departmental review, procedural violations were discovered and suspensions will be issued,” read a statement issued by Correction Department spokesman Frank Dwyer.

Taveras is the fourth person to die in Rikers custody in 2023. The other inmates who died this year have included: Marvin Pines, 65, Rubu Zhao, 52, and Joshua Valles, 31. 

“We are heartbroken and devastated for Felix Taveras and his loved ones. Jail deaths are policy choices. Thirty-nine people have died in the last two and a half years because of New York officials,” said Anisah Sabur, a prison reform advocate. “We must all demand better from our elected officials. Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, judges, district attorneys, and state and local lawmakers must act now to release people, stop sending people to deadly jails, and end torturous and deadly practices.”