Sheriff's Office: Prisoner Dies from Seizure

A prisoner at the Passaic County Jail died Saturday morning from a seizure he suffered while playing basketball, said William Maer, a spokesman with the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department.

Michael Wilkerson of Wayne suffered the seizure at 8:20 a.m. while playing basketball on the jail’s roof, Maer said.

EMT’s from the Passaic County Sherriff’s Office began treating Wilkerson, who was transported to the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, Maer said. Wilkerson was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s at 9:15 a.m., Maer said.

Wilkerson was 23 years old; he was in jail on sexual assault charges, Maer said. His next scheduled court date was May 16.

Maer said the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office of Internal Affairs is investigating the incident.

“We did a preliminary investigation and feel confident that he died of natural causes,” Maer said.

An autopsy is pending, Maer said.