Charles Freitag Sr.
Charles Freitag Sr. died by suicide in his cell at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania in August 2018. He had worked for the U.S. Postal Service and lived in Bensalem, and his family's attorney said he had expressed anxiety and concern in the months before his death. His family's federal lawsuit says jail officials and their health care contractor knew he was at high risk of self-harm, did not place him on suicide watch, and that guards failed to make the required 30-minute checks the night he died. The county declined comment on the pending litigation, and the case later settled in 2022.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). His family's federal lawsuit says jail officials and their health care contractor knew he was at high risk of self-harm but did not place him on suicide watch, and that guards skipped the required 30-minute checks the night he died.
Reported by: estate of Charles Freitag Sr. (wrongful-death lawsuit) (family or their lawyers); family's attorney Jonathan Feinberg (family or their lawyers); Bucks County Courier Times (reporters).
Lawsuit: His estate sued Bucks County and its medical contractor, PrimeCare Medical, over his 2018 suicide at the Bucks County Correctional Facility, and the case settled in 2022 for an amount that was not reported.