Inmate Taken to Hospital After Jumping from NYC Jail Barge in East River

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 9: The Vernon C. Bain Center, a jail built on a barge sits in the East River across from the Rikers Correctional Center on March 9, 2021 in New York City
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

An inmate jumped from an East River barge that's part of New York City's jail system on Tuesday and was taken to a hospital, authorities said.

The inmate climbed a recreation yard fence at the the floating jail known as the Vernon C. Bain Center shortly before noon and jumped into the water, a spokesperson for the city Department of Correction said.

The individual was apprehended and and taken to a hospital, the spokesperson said. Details on the person's condition were not released.

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The Bain Center is a 625-foot barge that was supposed to be temporary when it opened as a jail in 1992. It is docked in the East River near Rikers Island, the city's main jail complex.

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