PRESS CONFERENCE: Family of Marcos Alcaraz files a $50-million-dollar notice of intention after Eastern Correctional Facility fire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY
September 28, 2026
What: The Alcaraz Family announces they are filling a 50-million-dollar notice of intention to file a claim against the State of New York
Press Conference: 12:30 pm, Monday, September 28, 2026, Foley Square, by the Fountain
In attendance: Francheska Alcaraz, sister
David Rankin, family’s attorney
Victor Pate, co-director of the HALT Solitary Campaign
CONTACT: David B. Rankin, 212-277-5825 (Members of the Alcaraz family are available for interviews) drankin@blhny.com
On July 18, 2026, 35-year-old Marcos Alcaraz died after a fire broke out in his locked cell at Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York. Mr. Alcaraz yelled for help as flames spread, while other incarcerated individuals screamed at officers to respond. Officers took too long to act and then could not open his cell or work the fire hose. The level of incompetence is staggering. Mr. Alcaraz suffered burns to 100% of his body. He pushed the mattress up against the cell bars in a vain attempt to try and shield himself from the fire.
Today the family announces they are filing a notice of intention to sue the State of New York for 50 million dollars. They demand justice, transparency, and accountability.
As part of this press release, the family makes public for the first time the Ulster County autopsy.
“My brother was incarcerated, but he was still a human being. He was a father, a son, a brother, and a man who was loved and had plans for his future. Our family was first told that Marcos became sick and died of natural causes, but what we later learned about the fire and the circumstances surrounding his death raised serious questions that demand answers. We want a complete and independent investigation into the response of the correction officers, the fire-safety equipment, and why Marcos was not rescued. Above all, we are demanding transparency, accountability, and the truth.” Francheska Alcaraz, Marcos Alcaraz’s sister.
“The autopsy documents the devastating physical reality of what Marcos endured: soot throughout his airway, third-degree burns and charring over approximately 100 percent of his body, and a cause of death of smoke inhalation and thermal burns. But those findings do not answer the central question of how a man locked inside a maximum-security cell was permitted to reach that point before he could be brought to safety. Whatever caused the fire, Marcos was alive, unable to open his own cell or evacuate himself, and entirely dependent on the State for his safety. The State took away his freedom, and with that authority came the responsibility to protect him when he could not protect himself.” Andrea Garcia, Family of Marcos Alcaraz.
"What happened to Marcos Alcaraz is beyond unconscionable. Every New Yorker and every New York official and policymaker should be horrified and outraged that a person in the state's care can burn to death locked alone in a cell, with screams and pleas unanswered. Tragically, this is just another example of the extreme crisis of racist brutality, torture, and death plaguing New York's prison system. A person is dying nearly once every two days in a New York prison. When another incarcerated person spoke up afterward about what they saw and heard happen to Marcos, he was thrown in solitary confinement as retaliation. These deaths and these abuses have to end. The Governor and state lawmakers must act with the urgency this crisis requires to expand pathways for release from incarceration, fully implement the HALT Solitary Law using proven alternatives, and end all abuses in the prisons." Victor Pate, co-director of the HALT Solitary Campaign
“If a dog burned to death in a shelter, it would be front page news, the manager would be indicted, and the shelter shut down. How can we allow Eastern Correctional to house inmates when they let things like this happen? Eastern Correctional must be closed immediately." David B. Rankin, Partner at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP.
The Alcaraz Family is represented by Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP, who represented Eric Garner’s family, Nicholas Feliciano’s family, members of the Central Park 5, co-counseled Floyd, the stop and frisk class action, among other notable cases.
