Woman dies at Hudson County jail; second death in six weeks

Hannan Adely
NorthJersey

A 48-year-old female inmate died at the Hudson County Corrections Center early Friday, county officials said. It was the second death at the prison in past six weeks.

The woman, Jennifer Towle, died in the jail’s infirmary at 1:49 a.m., said county spokesman James Kennelly. No information was released about the cause of death or where she had any medical conditions. Her body was transferred to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark for an autopsy, he said. 

A girl holds a sign to support Rolando Meza Espinoza, a name that had been used by Carlos Mejia-Bonilla. He died while in custody of ICE.

Towle had been serving 180 days in jail for driving while intoxicated, which was a mandatory sentence because it was her third DWI offense, Kennelly said. She had been sentenced in Weehawken Municipal Court. 

Her death comes weeks after the passing of Rolando Meza Espinoza, who died from “internal bleeding and hemorrhagic shock” on June 10 after he was transferred from the prison to a hospital in Jersey City. He had been held in the part of the prison where the county houses detainees for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who are wanted for immigration offenses.

Meza Espinoza's family has alleged that he did not get the medication and care he needed to treat his ailments, including cirrhosis of the liver, anemia and diabetes.