The family of a man who died in custody Wednesday after jail officials said he had a medical episode on Rikers Island says he had no urgent health issues when he arrived at the troubled jail complex.
“The only thing we know is that he just passed away,” said Larry Cozart, the father of 39-year-old Barry Cozart, the first Rikers detainee to die so far this year. “ When he went in there, as far as we know, his health was alright.”
City Department of Correction officials said Cozart was being held in the George R. Vierno Center when an officer discovered him in need of medical aid. The staff member called for assistance and performed CPR, but Cozart could not be revived and was pronounced dead around 11:30 a.m., according to the agency.
Officials said they are still investigating his death. The office of the city's chief medical examiner did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the potential cause.
Barry Cozart’s death comes as Rikers Island enters the supervision of a court-appointed remediation manager with wide-ranging authority to make changes at the complex, which for years has been beset with dysfunction and violence. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to work with the manager to improve conditions at Rikers — with the goal of ultimately shuttering the jails and replacing them with smaller, borough-based facilities.
Larry Cozart said his family had been in regular communication with Barry while he was incarcerated, and Barry never sounded like he was in distress.
Court records show Barry Cozart was arrested on Nov. 14 after allegedly working alongside a woman to break into a home in Queens, though a criminal complaint shared by the district attorney’s office does not provide details about the contents of the bag he was caught with. He was charged with burglary, criminal trespass and petit larceny in the incident.
Barry Cozart pleaded not guilty and had a scheduled court appearance on Tuesday, the day before he died, according to the records. His attorney in the case did not immediately respond to a message.
Barry Cozart
Larry Cozart said his son, the second-youngest of seven siblings, had been living in Queens before his arrest and used to own a barbershop. He said Barry was a compassionate person who had struggled with alcohol addiction in the past.
“He always pick up people that need help, things of that nature. He's a very sensitive, very caring individual,” Larry Cozart said.
Citing Barry Cozart's death, Mamdani on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to closing Rikers and pursuing “every avenue to do so as quickly as possible.”
Larry Cozart said his family is awaiting answers from the city on what transpired.
“We want an examination and we want a full medical report on his health and things of that nature,” Larry Cozart said.
He said his son was looking toward his eventual release.
“He was planning on moving down south, where we are,” Larry Cozart said. “He had the high spirit that everything was going to work out all right.”
