Man Arrested for Assault Later Found Hanging in Midtown Jail Cell

The man's wife accused him of attacking her in their midtown apartment.

Sunday, Jan 1, 2012 | Updated 9:36 AM EDT

Police say a man whose wife had accused him of attacking her has hanged himself in a holding cell after turning himself in to New York City police.

Officers were called to the couple's midtown Manhattan apartment around 7:15 a.m. Saturday. They say the 33-year-old wife told police her husband had fled after assaulting her. She was treated and released from a hospital.

Forty-year-old Alexander Gonzalez surrendered later Saturday. Police say he was found hanging by a shirt in a cell where he was being held alone while officers were processing his arrest around 3:20 p.m.

Officers are stationed in the areas around precinct holding cells, but it wasn't immediately clear exactly where the assigned officer was when Gonzalez hanged himself.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.