New Jersey Department of Corrections Confirms Four Suicides at State Prison in 2024 and 2025

Al Jazeera reported that at least three men died by suicide inside New Jersey State Prison in 2025. Mark Todd died on mental health unit 2FF, Peter Rusch died in lockup, and Andrei Goumnov died in protective custody unit 3DD. Timma Kalidindi died by suicide at the same facility in 2024.

Peter Rusch was found unconscious during the first Code 66 emergency call after stating he wanted to kill himself. Officers cut him down, placed him in a restraint chair, and moved him. He died by hanging on the 7-Wing after a second Code 66 call.

The 7-Wing was built in the 1840s and remains the oldest functioning prison structure in the United States. Rusch had a documented history of severe mental illness and was classified as a vulnerable population under the 2000 Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.

Thirteen suicides occurred in New Jersey state prisons from 2018 to 2024, with half taking place in disciplinary housing units, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

The department confirmed the four deaths and stated it prioritizes safety and investigates every death. Jim Smith, held at the prison since 2019, said distance from his children, isolation, and lack of family contact drove his own suicide attempts. He requested fair treatment and more Native cultural programming.

Tariq MaQbool, incarcerated since 2005, described meeting Rusch in October 2022 after a tactical search team raid placed both men in administrative segregation. Rusch passed shower slippers through a cell port and later asked for kiosk access and mental health treatment before the first Code 66 call.