An inmate at the Allegheny County Jail was found unresponsive in his cell yesterday morning and pronounced dead shortly after, prompting an investigation into the circumstances of his death. The inmate, identified as 55-year-old Mark Schwartz, had been incarcerated since August on charges of simple assault and harassment. According to a statement by Allegheny County Jail Warden Trevor Wingard, obtained by CBS News Pittsburgh, the discovery was made around 7:37 a.m. by correctional staff.
After being found, a medical emergency was declared, with jail healthcare personnel quickly performing lifesaving measures until paramedics, who arrived at 7:37 a.m., took over. As reported by WPXI, despite these efforts, Schwartz was pronounced dead at 8:07 a.m. Wingard stated in the wake of the incident that the internal processes shall kick off an internal review to scrutinize the medical response, and the Allegheny County police are investigating the death.
An internal review has been announced by the jail's administration to assess the protocols followed during the incident. Meanwhile, the actual cause and manner of Schwartz's death will be determined by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is set to release its findings at a later date. The family of the deceased was notified before publicly releasing his identity.
