Rikers Island inmate grabs NYC council member’s butt during facility tour: sources
An alleged sex creep locked up on Rikers Island groped New York City Councilwoman Sandy Nurse during a Tuesday morning tour of the troubled facility, The Post has learned.
Inmate Gregorio Garcia slapped Nurse’s butt twice without a word at around 10:50 a.m. — after the Democratic politician asked correction officers walking with her to keep some distance so as not to intimidate the detainees, according to police sources.
Correction officers quickly grabbed Garcia and restrained him, sources said — even as the 5-foot tall, 200-pound inmate tried to escape their grasp.
He kept struggling as they escorted him away and threw him back in his cell, sources said.
Nurse acknowledged the assault in a statement she shared on social media Tuesday night.
“This morning, during an oversight visit of the PACE (Program to Accelerate Clinical Effectiveness) units at Rikers Island, I was physically assaulted by an individual in custody,” she said in a statement. “Thanks to the swift intervention of the Correction Officer present, the situation was quickly resolved, and I was neither harmed, nor restrained.”
Nurse, who said the incident lasted “only seconds,” refused to press charges because the groper was apparently mentally ill, according to the sources.
“This is a scary and dangerous situation that could have been far worse,” one source said.
Nurse represents the city’s 37th council district, which includes the central Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick, Brownsville, Cypress Hills, Cityline and East New York.
She also serves as the chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, and sponsored legislation making it illegal to pepper spray inmates.
One source was quick to point out that the incident shows why that’s a bad idea.
“This alarming and unprovoked attack on a New York City council member by a sexual predator demonstrates exactly why correction staff, civilians, and non-violent inmates in the city’s jails need proper safety measures in place to keep them safe — while also holding these predators accountable for their crimes,” the source said.
“The City Council needs to stop proposing reckless legislation that would restrict staff from using pepper spray, and from separating violent offenders from the general population before something tragic happens.”
A Department of Correction spokesperson said the “disturbing incident is under investigation.”
“The safety of all DOC employees, people in custody, and visitors is a top priority for the department,” the spokesperson said. “We are grateful to the members of service who quickly and professionally addressed the situation.”
Just a day before she was attacked, Nurse had posted a joint statement on her X account blasting Rikers for allegedly locking up mentally ill detainees in their cells for extended periods without access to medication and treatment.
“The reports of people with severe mental illness at Rikers Island being ‘deadlocked’ are alarming and demand immediate action from the Administration and Department of Correction,” said the statement, signed by Nurse and several other council members.
The council member was visiting the facility to investigate instances of “deadlocking.”
“Our primary focus remains addressing the reports of ‘deadlocking’ — where severely mentally ill individuals are confined to their cells for days or weeks without care or treatment, leading to further mental and physical harm. These reports require urgent attention,” she said in a statement following the alleged assault.
“My personal experience, while unfortunate, should not detract from the systemic neglect and abuse that persists daily in these facilities.”
A spokesperson for Nurse initially declined comment Tuesday evening before the councilwoman posted the lengthy statement to X condemning the “leak” of the incident, and claiming without evidence that it was an attempt to “distract” from the issues at Rikers.
“While any form of sexual assault is unacceptable, I am disgusted — but not surprised — that details of this incident were leaked within hours by Department of Correction staff,” she said.
“The leak is a clear attempt to distract from the much needed reforms at Rikers, especially as DOC prepares to face accountability for its decades-long failure to address and prevent sexual assault,” she added, referring to allegations that several Rikers corrections officers have sexually assaulted and raped female inmates as reported in a Gothamist investigation.
Garcia has been jailed on a first-degree sexual abuse charge stemming from a November 2023 arrest, according to the city’s jail and court records.
He’s also been accused of assault and forcible touching — and he’s pleaded not guilty to each charge.
Garcia is due to appear Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Allie Griffin, Larry Celona and Haley Brown contributed to this report.
