A 35-year-old incarcerated man died after a fire broke out inside his cell at Eastern Correctional Facility in Ulster County early Saturday morning, according to New York State Police.
State police said the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision notified the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Ellenville of the death on July 18.
The preliminary investigation found that a fire occurred in a cell at approximately 1:40 a.m. Correctional facility staff extinguished the fire and discovered the victim, identified as Marcos Alcaraz, inside the cell.
Alcaraz was transported to Ellenville Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities have not released information about what caused the fire or the circumstances leading up to it.
The investigation is being conducted by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations, the Ulster County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office, which investigates certain deaths involving law enforcement or individuals in state custody under New York law, was also notified and responded to the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Image: Eastern NY Correctional Facility is a maximum security level facility for males. (Bard College Prison Initiative)