NEW YORK – A Rikers inmate died Thursday — the second this year — while in the custody of the Department of Correction, officials said.

George Pagan, 49, was removed from the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island and taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:33 a.m., according to the Department of Correction.

The cause of Pagan’s death is under investigation and will be determined by the chief medical examiner.

“Any death in custody is a tragedy and we send our deepest condolences and sympathy to this individual’s friends and family,” Correction Commissioner Louis Molina said in a statement. "We are working with our partner agencies to conduct a full investigation into the causes and circumstances.”

According to the Department of Correction, all deaths in custody are investigated by the state attorney general and the Department of Investigation.

Records show Pagan had been in the custody of the Department of Correction since March 9, 2022. ​

Last year, a total of 16 inmates died in the custody of the Department of Correction.