More than two dozen friends of Justin “Gusto” Gidora, 36, gathered at Indian Field in Van Cortlandt Park just after sunset on Saturday, July 22, to remember a good-natured and apparently troubled, young man who died under mysterious circumstances after being held in police custody, as previously reported.

 

Details of the events leading up to the young man’s death remain unclear but friends of Gidora say they believe he was arrested at a Bronx subway station (possibly the East 180th Street Station) on Thursday, July 6.

 

Meanwhile, EMS officials said they got a call at 9:50 p.m. on July 6 and that paramedics were sent to Bronx Central Booking inside Bronx Criminal Court at East 161st Street after Gidora suffered a “major injury.”

 

According to friends of Gidora, he was taken off life support at Lincoln Hospital and died on July 13. FDNY officials remained silent when asked for the arrival and departure times from both Bronx Central Booking and Lincoln Hospital, as well as on the type of injuries Gidora suffered.

Some friends said Gidora battled alcoholism, which some attributed to the death of his brother, Peter, a decade ago. They said Gidora also lost his mother and grandmother in the last five years. Friends said with nowhere else to go, he had recently been living at a homeless shelter on East 183rd Street.

 

On Wednesday, July 12, Sgt. Feno of the NYPD press office provided few details on the circumstances leading up to Gidora’s death, telling Norwood News, “At this point, the incident is being investigated as a medical episode, which occurred inside of Bronx Central Booking.”

 

Asked if Gidora’s injuries occurred during a fight, as alleged by some of his friends, Feno, “So, like I said, at this point the incident is under investigation as a medical episode. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.” He added that the incident was being investigated by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division.

 

When asked for details of Gidora’s arrest, Feno said he did not have that information but promised it would be provided by Friday, July 14. Despite several follow-up requests, the requested information had not been provided by July 25.

 

Shortly after news of Gidora’s death became known in Woodlawn Heights, someone painted “Gusto,” Gidora’s nickname, on the side wall of the Woodlawn Gift Shop located at Katonah Avenue and East 237th Street, across the street from P.S. 19, the elementary school Gidora attended as a child. Friends quickly arrived afterwards, placing candles and flowers at the site.

 

A screenshot of an apparent internal NYPD document shared with one of Gidora’s friends, and seen by Norwood News on the cell phone of one of his friends, listed Gidora as having been arrested at a subway station within Transit District 12 for “theft of service.” Further extracts read, “Subject was transported to Lincoln Hospital from Central Booking for a medical emergency. Subject was pronounced deceased on 7/11/23. The matter is being investigated as under FID [Force Investigation Division].”

 

According to 2019 article by NY1, the Force Investigation Division was created in 2015 “to centralize and standardize how each incident of police firing their guns and using other types of force is reported and investigated.” According to the article, in 2018, “the NYPD inspector general said the department was still underreporting how often officers used force against civilians.”

 

Some extracts from a 2020 Report on Use of Force by the NYPD are attached to this story and the full report can be read here. The executive summary reads, “Since the first issuance of this report in 2016, the NYPD has continuously worked to improve and evolve its force policies and reporting practices. The enactment of significant reforms regarding use of force along with the department’s conscientious compliance towards evolving policies at both the city and state level, affirms the NYPD’s commitment to enhanced transparency, building trust, and policing New York City in collaboration with the community it serves.”

On July 20, Gothamist and other media outlets reported reported that New York City is to pay $13 million to settle claims by Black Lives Matter protesters in relation to Manhattan and Brooklyn demonstrations. It follows an earlier settlement for hundreds of people who attended a 2020 protest in Mott Haven. In the latter case, the City agreed to pay $21,500 to each eligible protester, for a total of about $6 million, according to Gothamist.

 

Because the NYPD has not issued any statement or written report providing details of Gidora’s arrest or death, his friends have been left to draw their own conclusions with some alleging he was arrested for illegally selling MetroCard “swipes,” while others say he may have been charged with an old outstanding warrant for carrying an open container of alcohol.

 

On July 12, one male friend of Gidora’s had told Norwood News, “I just called Central Booking and they’re telling me that they released him today. Meanwhile, he’s dead.” The friend was referring to Gidora’s then vegetative state at Lincoln Hospital where he had been visited and witnessed by friends as non-responsive.

 

The friend continued, “There’s a story floating around that he got beat up in central booking, terribly.” In a photo seen by Norwood News, taken by one of Gidora’s friends of him in Lincoln Hospital, no facial or arm injuries, at least, were visible.

 

Later on July 12, the same friend said, “I just found out he’s still alive. They’re pulling the plug on him tomorrow.” The friend added, “They [other friends of Gidora] were telling me they found out that he had a seizure, but they don’t think so because he’d never had a seizure.” According to friends of Gidora, the young man was later taken off life support on July 13.

Requests sent to City officials for information on cameras in the holding cells and requests on how many deaths there have been, if any, at Bronx Central Booking in the last five years have not been answered. Norwood News reached out to the Unified Court System, NYC Health + Hospitals, and the Office of the Mayor. All deferred questions on the matter to the NYPD.

 

When contacted for an update on the cause of death, a representative from the Office of the City’s Medical Examiner, said on July 17, “The cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the medical examiner.” We also contacted The Office of the Bronx District Attorney. We did not receive an immediate response.

As Gidora’s friends gathered for the arranged vigil on July 22 at Indian Field near the northeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park, some said they believe his death was caused from withdrawal from alcohol. Some also said they felt police should have known about Gidora’s condition and should have taken him to an emergency room to detox.

 

“Gina,” who organized the vigil, said, “I already kind of knew what happened and knew he was in trouble, and he was in the hospital and something bad happened to him. I called Central Booking… the lady on the phone kind of went quiet, and then she put me on mute for like two minutes.”

Gina continued, “Then someone else came on the phone and she was like, ‘Oh, I can’t release any information’.” Gina said she was instructed to call the 47^th Precinct. She continued, “They were like, ‘We have no information. We don’t know what you’re talking about’.”

 

Gina said she also called Lincoln Hospital and was told that Gidora was “released” from the hospital on July 13, the day other friends say doctors took Gidora off life support.

In reference to the City’s handling of Gidora’s death, Gina said, “They definitely [expletive] up big time.” She added, “If there’s nothing to hide, they should just release the footage of what happened in the cell that day.”

 

A GoFundMe page set up in Gidora’s memory had at one point raised $1,770 of the $3,000 his friends hope to raise to fund a permanent memorial to their friend, a permanant mural on the side wall of Woodlawn Gift Shop. Friends are also expecting to hold a memorial mass for Gidora at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church, located on East 241st Street at 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 30.

After donating money to the GoFundMe page, Sam Papadopoulos previously wrote, “Nicest guy out of all The Bronx. You’ll be missed… Woodlawn won’t be the same without you.” Papadopoulos added, “No matter what you were going through, you were always positive energy… Sad as hell.”

 

Norwood News attempted to contact any surviving family members of Gidora but were unsuccessful. We will continue to monitor any developments in the case and report any details on his death, should they become available.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.