A New York City correction officer was hospitalized with a fractured skull after a violent attack by an inmate on Rikers Island on Monday.
The officer was assaulted just after 9 a.m. on Monday morning in the prison’s George R. Vierno Center, according to the Department of Correction.
He received a fractured skull, a fractured orbital, a fractured nose among other injuries, officials said, and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The inmate was re-arrested and charged with attempted murder in the first degree. His name was not officially released.
The DOC said it is working with the Bronx District Attorney to continue investigating the incident.
“Any assault on our staff is deplorable and absolutely unacceptable. We will work with the Bronx DA to hold the individual responsible accountable,” DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said about the incident in a statement.
Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio blamed the incident on Mayor Bill de Blasio for his failure to keep prison guards safe, claiming the blood is on his hands.
“Our Correction Officer, who was simply doing his job, was nearly killed by this heinous attack. The blood that shed from his wounds and the wounds of all of our brave officers, who continue to be assaulted with impunity, are on the Mayor’s hands. He alone has the power to make our jails safer and his unwillingness to do so makes him criminally negligent for creating the conditions we face daily.”
Two weeks ago, hundreds of jail guards and their supporters launched a mass protest near Rikers Island, blasting what they called the worst working conditions in the history of the notoriously dangerous lock-up.
“They are at the breaking point,” Correction Captain Association President Pat Ferraiuolo told The Post of his union members.
“It’s worse than at the breaking point. They are the worst they have ever been in the history of Rikers Island,” he said of conditions and morale. “It’s a very dangerous environment.