NYC Correction captain, 2 officers suspended after death of man held on Rikers Island

Graham Rayman, New York Daily News on Aug 27, 2025

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NEW YORK — A Department of Correction captain and two officers have been suspended in connection with the death over the weekend of a man held on Rikers Island, officials said.

The three uniformed staffers were suspended after Ardit Billa, 29, was found unconscious and unresponsive in a cell at the George R. Vierno Center early Saturday, the officials said.

Billa’s death was the 10th connected to New York City’s jails in 2025, following five in 2024, nine in 2023, 19 in 2022 and 16 in 2021.

Billa was discovered about 12:25 a.m. in the Vierno Center. Officers attempted medical aid, but he died at 12:58 a.m.

His cause of death has yet to be determined.

Billa had been held on Rikers since Feb. 23. He was initially arrested Jan. 22, accused of slashing a neighbor with a razor in his Bronx apartment building, authorities said.

The victim was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital.

Billa was charged with assault and weapons possession and released without bail. He missed his first court appearance and a warrant was issued.

He was then arrested Feb. 23 and ordered held on $25,000 bail.

He was referred by a judge on Aug. 5 to an alternative court program, but he hadn’t been released from jail, court records indicate.

A series of internal and outside investigations have been opened in connection with Billa’s death, officials said.

“We are committed to a full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said in a statement.