Peter Rusch
Peter Rusch was a man who lived with severe mental illness, and according to an essay by a man who knew him, he was kind to others on his unit; when the author first arrived without shower shoes, Peter handed him his own slippers and asked if he was okay. He was held at New Jersey State Prison, and the essay says that after a 2022 hanging attempt, staff shut off his water before he was cut down, and that he was later housed on 7-Wing, an isolation area. The essay says he was expected to be released, but a delay left him confused and distressed, and that his placement in isolation went against policy for people with his history. The New Jersey Department of Corrections has said he died by suicide by hanging, and the essay says he died by suicide there. The essay's account of the water shutoff, the isolation placement and the release delay has not been confirmed by the department.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The Department of Corrections reports a hanging suicide, and an essay author who knew Rusch says his placement in isolation on 7-Wing went against policy for people with his history and that a release delay left him confused and distressed.
Reported by: New Jersey Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); essay author.