How did Bronx man Die in Police Custody?

Bronx Man Suffers Fatal Injuries at Central Booking

An undated photo of Justin Gidora before he was taken off life support and died on July 13. -Family Photo

By David Greene 

Bronx Voice 

August 2, 2023

NEW YORK - The NYPD has remained silent after confirming to the Bronx Voice on July 12, that a man in police custody suffered a fatal "medical episode.”

Without giving any specific details, Sargent Feno of the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI), confirmed that Justin Gidora, 36, had been in custody and according to friend's was on life-support at Lincoln Hospital.

Feno explained, "At this point the incident is being investigated as a medical episode... which occurred inside of Bronx Central Booking," on East 161 Street.

Asked if Gidora's injuries was the result of a fight in the lock-up, Feno reiterated, "The incident is under investigation as a medical episode, the medical examiner will determine the cause of death and the incident is under investigation by the NYPD's Force Investigation Division.”

Feno vowed that the DCPI email team would respond with details of Gidora's arrest and injuries on July 14, but had not yet responded by July 31.

Friends say Gidora grew up in Woodlawn, attended P.S. 19 and Lehman High School. Friends also say he never regained consciousness and was taken off life support and died on July 13.

As word of Gidora's condition spread, an unknown friend wrote "Gusto," Gidora's nickname on the side wall of the Woodlawn Gift Shop at East 237 Street and Katonah Avenue and on July 12, residents of the community then placed and lit candles, left flowers and paid their respects to a young man that they said didn't have much, but always had a smile.

One longtime friend of Gidora's recalled, "His brother passed away when he was in his twenties. His mother and grandmother passed away within the last five-years." Multiple friends say Gidora struggled with alcohol addiction and most recently had been living at a homeless shelter on East 183 Street.

One unidentified friend recalled, "I heard that he got beat up in Central Booking, that's what made me go looking for him... Then someone called me up and said he was in the hospital, in a coma." The friend then asked, "How the hell does that happen in police custody?”

Another said of the police department, "If you guys are covering something up then that's why, if not show us the proof and will see he really did have a seizure, he really hit his head which is unfortunate, but they're not answering so they're looking suspicious.”

The Office of the Mayor, The Unified Court System and the medical examiner's office all directed questions to the NYPD who has still not provided any details since the incident nearly three-weeks ago.

A second memorial mass will be held for Gidora at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church in Woodlawn at 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 5. Friends have so far raised $1,780 of $3,000 they hope to raise to create a permanent memorial for Gidora.