PRISONERS SAY JONATHAN GRANT'S DEATH AT AUBURN LIKELY DUE TO NY GUARD STRIKE
DIABETIC LOCKED INSIDE CELL 24-HOURS A DAY, DENIED EMERGENCY SNACK
Feb. 23, 2025
Seven days into a state-wide strike by New York's prison guards, a diabetic prisoner has died and the strike may be responsible.
Jonathan Grant, 61, was found dead Saturday morning at the maximum-security Auburn Correctional Facility, two prisoners who served time with him in E-block told The Free Lance Sunday evening.
The state agency that manages New York's prison system, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, confirmed his death to NBC's Albany affiliate, WNYT13, which first reported Grant's death.
Both prisoners said Grant was a diabetic. Both thought Grant would still be alive today but for the strike.
"I don't think it would've happened to him," one said.
Because of the strike, he explained, they were locked inside their cells 24-hours a day, which made it difficult to detect if Grant was stricken.
Normally they'd be "going to the mess hall, going to work, going to programs, help would've been there 'Johnny on the spot'" if Grant felt ill, the prisoner said.
The other prisoner said lack of normal food might have contributed to Grant's death.
He said they'd been being fed bag meals in their cells which included "a lot of bread and cheese and boiled eggs."
The last two days, he said, "we had hot meals. But they are not even close to half of what we normally give." They were fed "a scoop of rice and two teaspoons of vegetables and bread."
Both prisoners said diabetics typically got sugar cubes or a "snack bag" for low blood sugar emergencies, which can lead to coma and death if untreated. Because of the strike, one said, "none of these guys have been given sugar cubes or a snack bag."
Grant was serving 34-to-40 years for first-degree rape and burglary, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, or DOCCS, which manages New York's prisons.
The morning of Grant's death, National Guardsmen conducted a count at 7:00 AM. During the count, officers typically make prisoners stand or at least verbally respond to prove they're alive and present. The Guardsmen did not make Grant stand or talk, the prisoners said.
It wasn't until the 8:00 AM count that the Guardsmen realized something might be wrong with Grant. Instead of stopping the count, they finished it and told a CO who remained working to check on Grant. When he did, he signaled a medical emergency.
But it was too late for Grant, the prisoners said.
"It was obvious he was already deceased," one said. "His body was stiff. He didn't even move at all."
They said COs nevertheless gave Grant CPR.
"They pumped on his chest for half-hour. The officers did," one said.
They even tried NARCAN, in case it was an opioid overdose. That prompted another prisoner to yell out, he said, "'He doesn't get high. What are you doing?'"
After officers gave up, they dragged Grant's corpse away on a blanket, down their tier in front of the cells.
It was wrong "we're caught in the middle" of the guards' fight with the governor, one witness said.
DOCCS’ said Grant was pronounced dead by a paramedic at 8:32 AM and that its cause would be determined by the county Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Any death that appears to be from other than natural causes or a known medical condition is thoroughly investigated by New York State Police and DOCCS’ Office of Special Investigations,” DOCCS added. “All deaths in DOCCS’ facilities are reviewed by the State Commission of Correction.”
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