1 Inmates Assisted with Plane Crash
LaGuardia Airport’s proximity to Rikers Island turned tragic on February 1, 1957, when Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed onto the island shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 20 people and injuries to 78 others. In a swift response, Rikers Island workers and inmates rushed to the scene, with 57 inmates aiding in the rescue efforts to pull survivors from the wreckage.
In recognition of their bravery, 30 of these inmates were granted immediate release, while 16 others received six-month sentence reductions. Governor Averell Harriman also commuted the sentences of 11 men serving definitive terms for their courageous actions. Investigators concluded that the crash likely occurred because the pilot lost spatial awareness after entering clouds, which caused an undetected deviation from the flight path.
2 Secret Lounge
In a startling discovery back in 2020, New York City investigators uncovered an opulent secret lounge hidden within the walls of Rikers Island. Tucked away in the condemned James A. Thomas Center—a 90-year-old facility closed due to asbestos and lead contamination—the lounge featured a setup more suited to a luxury apartment than a notorious jail. Leather couches, a large flat-screen TV, and an assortment of city-purchased amenities, all funded by taxpayer dollars, filled the room. Unused correctional equipment including air conditioners, snow blowers, lockers, desks, and various other supplies—estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars—were also found stashed away, apparently repurposed to furnish this covert retreat.
The lounge was ingeniously constructed, with plywood raising the floor to create a makeshift hideout. Investigators found evidence that someone had illegally tapped into the building’s plumbing and electrical systems, even adding a secret bathroom. A false wall, also made of plywood, concealed the surplus equipment.
Suspicion has fallen on a small group of correctional officers who may have built and maintained this secret lair, though their exact motivations and the full story remain an unresolved mystery.
3 Was Once A Civil War Base
During the Civil War, Rikers Island played a pivotal role as a training ground for Union Army troops. In May 1861, the 9th New York Infantry, famously known as Hawkins’ Zouaves, became the first regiment to train on the island. They were soon followed by other units, including the 36th New York State Volunteers, the New York 76th, the 162nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the Anderson Zouaves.
As the war drew to a close, Rikers Island served another purpose—as a prisoner-of-war camp, housing captured Confederate soldiers. In 1884, the city of New York purchased the island from the Riker family, who had originally settled it in 1638, shaping Rikers’ place in the city’s expanding history.
4 Has Its Own Bakery
Every morning, just before dawn, around 20 inmates report to the Rikers Island bakery, where they begin their shift making bread and other baked goods. The bakery turns out about 11,500 loaves of whole wheat bread daily, feeding thousands across the facility. While they bake a variety of items, nothing rivals the popularity of their carrot cake.
Each year, the bakery produces approximately 2,500 loaves of this highly sought-after dessert. Made in batches of 25 loaves, each mix requires 25 pounds of sugar, pre-whipped eggs, and shredded carrots, along with a generous amount of raisins and walnuts. Weighing in at 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg), each loaf can serve up to 20 people. The carrot cake is one of the rare treats that has inmates lining up for seconds.
5 Artistic Murals
Murals have been a quiet yet powerful presence on Rikers Island for many years, offering glimpses of creativity and hope within the prison walls. Some murals have been painted over as time has passed, while others, including new ones, continue to appear, with some created by inmates and others by commissioned artists.
One of the earliest commissioned artists was Ben Shahn, though his proposed mural was rejected by the Municipal Art Commission for being too anti-establishment. Since then, several murals have been approved and displayed in various buildings, including the chapel, visitor rooms, and hallways. While some have been lost over time, a few original murals remain intact.
In April of this year, a new mural by artist Dindga McCannon was unveiled on the exterior of the Re-entry Service Center. Titled “Towards a Brighter Tomorrow!” the mural depicts a group of people emerging from the prison, carrying bags labeled “job,” “resilience,” and “family,” as they move forward to rejoin their communities. Vibrant sunshine, musical notes, and flowers fill the background, along with empowering words like “courage” and “dreams,” symbolically breaking the chains at the mural’s edges.
6 Community Garden
Inmates at Rikers Island Correction Facility have the chance to participate in the GreenHouse jail-to-street program, an initiative by the Horticultural Society of New York. This program offers inmates hands-on experience in a garden, classroom, and greenhouse setting, helping them build practical skills and confidence essential for re-entry into society.
A collaboration with the Department of Education and the NYC Department of Corrections, GreenHouse also provides a therapeutic escape, allowing participants to experience the healing power of nature amid the challenging environment of Rikers Island. The program has been remarkably successful in guiding former inmates toward meaningful employment in the green industry post-incarceration.
7 Built on a Landfill That Leaks Gas!!
In 1884, New York City purchased Rikers Island for $180,000 with plans to establish a workhouse and later expand to a larger men’s jail. To increase the island’s footprint, the city brought in landfill and garbage, continuing to add landfill even after the jail opened in 1932 until 1943. The island quickly became known for a pervasive, unpleasant odor and a significant rat problem. Some inmates say the stench can be unbearable, especially on certain days when it blankets the facility.
As the buried waste under Rikers Island’s buildings continues to decompose, it releases methane gas, a potentially harmful substance that can displace oxygen when it accumulates in high concentrations. During summer’s hottest months, the odor intensifies, causing inmates and staff to complain of a toxic smell lingering across the grounds. Both inmates and correction officers have voiced concerns that prolonged exposure to these fumes could pose carcinogenic risks, leading them to file a lawsuit in 2011.
8 Celebrity Inmates
Rikers Island has housed an array of high-profile inmates over the years, including famous rappers like Lil Wayne, Bobby Shmurda, Tupac Shakur, DMX, A$AP Rocky, Ja Rule, and Foxy Brown. Other well-known figures who spent time at Rikers include musician Sid Vicious, NFL player Plaxico Burress, activist Emma Goldman, and Mark David Chapman, the man responsible for the murder of John Lennon.
One of the most infamous names on the list, however, is not a celebrity from the world of music or sports but a notorious criminal: serial killer David Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam.” In the late 1970s, Berkowitz terrorized New York City in a killing spree that left six dead and many injured. Claiming he was driven by demonic forces, Berkowitz spent a brief time at Rikers before being transferred to a prison upstate, leaving behind a dark legacy among the facility’s infamous residents.
9 A Weird Nickname
Rikers Island has earned a grim reputation over the years, with nicknames like “Gladiator School” and “Torture Island,” but in the summer months, it’s more commonly referred to as “The Oven.” The facility’s cinder block walls, steel doors, and concrete floors trap and amplify the oppressive heat, creating conditions that many inmates describe as unbearable, often likening it to being trapped in an oven—or even hell itself.
Most of the buildings lack central air conditioning, and those that do have partial cooling systems offer little relief. In 2015, efforts began to install air conditioning in the punitive segregation cells of the George R. Vierno Center, but the solitary confinement units for young detainees aged 18 to 21 remained without air conditioning, leaving them to endure the sweltering conditions.
10 Buildings Flood
Flooding at Rikers Island isn’t just the result of a natural disaster—it often occurs during regular rain events due to the island’s aging and deteriorating infrastructure. Many buildings on the island are in poor condition, with damaged doors, broken or missing window screens, and cracks in the foundations and walls that allow water to seep inside. The Legal Aid Society has fielded numerous complaints about flooding in several facilities, including the Robert N. Davoren Center (RNDC). At a 2015 Board of Correction meeting, a board member highlighted that the RNDC library floods regularly, preventing teenage detainees from using it. The following year, another report revealed that the roof of the RNDC school was leaking as well.
