Family demands answers after Bronx native dies in fire at upstate prison
Marco Alcaraz died after a fire broke out inside his cell shortly after midnight Saturday at Eastern Correctional Facility in Ulster County, according to officials.
More Stories
A Bronx family is demanding answers after a 35-year-old man died in a fire inside his cell at an upstate correctional facility over the weekend.
Marco Alcaraz died after a fire broke out inside his cell shortly after midnight Saturday at Eastern Correctional Facility in Ulster County, according to officials. Prison staff extinguished the flames. Alcaraz was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
"He meant a lot to us. He was a great man," said his sister, Francheska Alcaraz. "Lovely person. He cares a lot about other people."
Francheska Alcaraz said she was overwhelmed when she first learned of her brother's death.
"I kind of feel like in shock the first time. I don’t know how to express how I feel because it was painful," she said.
She said her brother is survived by his sisters and his 16-year-old daughter.
"She was his princess. That’s the only daughter he got. Every day he was sending me pictures of her," she said.
The family is now demanding answers about how the fire happened.
"I am angry. I am so angry. I need answers. This is negligent. Today is my brother, tomorrow can be someone else,” Francheska Alcaraz said.
According to the Bronx DA's office, Alcaraz was arrested in 2010 for his role in a robbery inside a Grand Concourse apartment building that left one man dead. He was later convicted of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 24 years in prison. He had served 16 years of his sentence and had less than three years remaining.
New York State Police and other state agencies are investigating Alcaraz's death.
"We going to do justice. We’re not gonna stop. I love you, Marcos. I love him with all of my heart. We miss him so much. He was such a good man," Francheska Alcaraz said.
