Inmate found dead in Hudson County Jail under mental health observation

A Hudson County Jail inmate who had been placed under “psychiatric supervision” was found hanged in the medical wing of the Kearny prison early Tuesday morning, the Jersey Journal has learned.

The 27-year-old man was found by a correctional officer during a security check at 3:59 a.m. His name is being withheld because it cannot be confirmed that his family has been notified.

Medical personnel, paramedics and emergency medical technicians responded, but the inmate, who had arrived at the jail a day earlier from the Essex County Jail, was pronounced dead at 4:31 a.m.

The Hudson County District Attorney's Office is investigating the man's death and the U.S. Marshals Office has also been notified.

District officials and the public prosecutor's office were not immediately available for comment. It could not be determined whether the prisoner was to be monitored around the clock.

The inmate underwent a psychiatric evaluation on Monday afternoon and was assigned to a cell in the special unit of the U.S. Marshals Office.

At midnight on Monday, the 27-year-old was transferred to the medical department and placed under psychiatric observation.