Tragedy Unfolds Behind Bars: Family Sues City Over Rikers-Related Death
In a shocking case, the family of 20-year-old Ariel Quidone has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging that jail staff ignored his symptoms for days before he died from untreated appendicitis. When was the last time you heard of someone dying of appendicitis? The question echoes the sentiments of Marc Battipaglia, an attorney for the family, who says, "Appendicitis is simple to cure if it's looked over properly."
Quidone was arrested on robbery charges in March 2025 and released from Rikers Island just nine days later. However, his life would come to a tragic end shortly after his release, when he died from septic shock due to a ruptured appendix.
According to the lawsuit, Quidone showed symptoms of appendicitis that went untreated for days while he was held at the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island. "He had sweats, fevers, vomiting," Battipaglia said. "We believe he was already dead in the custody of Rikers."
The incident raises serious questions about the city's handling of medical emergencies in jail facilities. Surveillance footage shows Quidone exiting his cell with a blanket over his shoulder, appearing unwell, but no correction officer approached him after noticing his condition. Despite this, logs did not reflect any attempts to transport him to the clinic.
A suicide prevention aide eventually found Quidone unresponsive in his cell and called for help. Medical staff arrived, administered Narcan, and performed CPR before EMS took him to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on March 15.
The city's Department of Correction claims that no action had been taken against the staff assigned to Quidone's housing unit at the time of his collapse. However, the family's attorneys dispute this claim, alleging negligence and medical malpractice.
This tragic incident is part of a growing trend of deaths in jail custody, with at least 15 people dying in the Department of Correction's custody last year. A federal judge has recently appointed a court-ordered "remediation manager" to take over large parts of jail operations and work to reduce violence at Rikers Island.
As the city grapples with these issues, the family's lawsuit serves as a reminder that justice must be served for those who have fallen victim to systemic failures. The question remains: what was going on behind the walls of Rikers Island when Ariel Quidone's life slipped away?
In a shocking case, the family of 20-year-old Ariel Quidone has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging that jail staff ignored his symptoms for days before he died from untreated appendicitis. When was the last time you heard of someone dying of appendicitis? The question echoes the sentiments of Marc Battipaglia, an attorney for the family, who says, "Appendicitis is simple to cure if it's looked over properly."
Quidone was arrested on robbery charges in March 2025 and released from Rikers Island just nine days later. However, his life would come to a tragic end shortly after his release, when he died from septic shock due to a ruptured appendix.
According to the lawsuit, Quidone showed symptoms of appendicitis that went untreated for days while he was held at the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island. "He had sweats, fevers, vomiting," Battipaglia said. "We believe he was already dead in the custody of Rikers."
The incident raises serious questions about the city's handling of medical emergencies in jail facilities. Surveillance footage shows Quidone exiting his cell with a blanket over his shoulder, appearing unwell, but no correction officer approached him after noticing his condition. Despite this, logs did not reflect any attempts to transport him to the clinic.
A suicide prevention aide eventually found Quidone unresponsive in his cell and called for help. Medical staff arrived, administered Narcan, and performed CPR before EMS took him to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on March 15.
The city's Department of Correction claims that no action had been taken against the staff assigned to Quidone's housing unit at the time of his collapse. However, the family's attorneys dispute this claim, alleging negligence and medical malpractice.
This tragic incident is part of a growing trend of deaths in jail custody, with at least 15 people dying in the Department of Correction's custody last year. A federal judge has recently appointed a court-ordered "remediation manager" to take over large parts of jail operations and work to reduce violence at Rikers Island.
As the city grapples with these issues, the family's lawsuit serves as a reminder that justice must be served for those who have fallen victim to systemic failures. The question remains: what was going on behind the walls of Rikers Island when Ariel Quidone's life slipped away?
. So there's this penguin dad and he's taking care of his chick while his mate is off breeding or something. Anyway, the dad is doing all these adorable things to make sure the chick is safe and happy... 
... And then it hits me that this reminds me of my neighbor's cat when she was having kittens! I swear, the way that cat mother instinctively knows how to care for those little balls of fluff? It's just like... wow 
. Sorry, what were we talking about again?
I'm so sad about this. It's crazy that someone can just die from appendicitis and no one notices till it's too late 
. It's like, how hard is it to take a person to the clinic when they're clearly unwell? 
The fact that they didn't even log any attempts to help him is just heartbreaking 
. This whole thing needs to be looked into and something should be done about it 
.
this case is just another example of how our society can fail the people we put in its custody... like, what kind of system allows someone to die from something as simple as appendicitis and still manage to turn a blind eye? 
it's not just about medical negligence, but also about the human element - did anyone actually check on Quidone or was he just left to suffer in silence? 
the fact that surveillance footage shows him looking unwell but no one intervened is just chilling... and what's going on with the city's response to this incident? is it just a Band-Aid solution or are they taking real steps to address the systemic issues? 
this is just another example of how broken our system is... how can you miss symptoms of a deadly medical condition like appendicitis and not even bother to check on someone who's clearly unwell? 
it's just so inexcusable that the family is having to sue the city to get justice for their loved one. 
this is just insane, like how can u ignore someone's symptoms for days?! 
and what's with the "no action" claim from the department of correction? 
that just sounds like a cover up. 
So sad what happened to Ariel Quidone 
and answers 
. The city needs to take responsibility and do better 
. My heart goes out to Ariel's family 
.
i dont think ppl realize how serious medical issues can be in a confined space like a jail cell its not just about lockin someone up, it's about takin care of their health too 
and it seems like rikers island fell short on that front 
hopefully the court case brings some change to prevent similar incidents in the future 
i feel so bad for them. and what's crazy is that this isn't even an isolated incident... at least 15 people died in jail custody last year and now they have a remediation manager to try and fix things 
but like, how do you fix the system when it's already broken?! 
and still nobody did anything about it. what's going on behind the walls of Rikers Island? we need to get answers 
i mean, you'd think that would be a big deal, but nope, they just let him sit there with a fever, sweats, and vomiting... what's the protocol here, "just chill, bro"? 
meanwhile, they're playing video games or something in the control room 
while someone's dying 10 feet away. this is crazy 
how can you not notice? 
and she's not even alive anymore... what's going on, Rikers Island?! 
. A 20-year-old guy just died from a simple case of appendicitis 
and nobody noticed until it was too late 
. The city needs to do some serious soul-searching 
. We need to hold those responsible accountable 
.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this tragic story... 20-year-old Ariel Quidone died due to appendicitis that went untreated for DAYS in jail