The state’s Office of Special Investigation says it cannot prove the officers caused the 23-year-old’s death. Its report also discusses limits in the medical evidence. This is detailed in the Alex Rivera report.

By David LaGuerre | November 9, 2026

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation will not seek criminal charges against three Syracuse police officers in the May 31, 2023, death of Alex Rivera, the office announced Monday.

The findings regarding the incident are further elaborated in the Alex Rivera report.

The public investigation report says prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers caused Rivera’s death. Rivera, 23, became unresponsive after officers and ambulance personnel moved him into an ambulance following an encounter at a Teall Avenue apartment building.

The report’s public release is dated Nov. 9, 2026. Its legal analysis is signed Nov. 5. The incident occurred more than three years earlier.

The criminal charging decision

The investigation concerns officers Simon Greenfield, Winston Wiseth and Brett Traupman of the Syracuse Police Department. OSI said its review included 911 recordings, body-camera footage, medical and ambulance records, an autopsy, witness accounts and an independent forensic review.

Under the criminal standard described in the report, prosecutors would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an officer’s conduct caused the death. OSI concluded it did not have sufficient evidence to do that and closed its investigation without charges.

That is a decision about criminal proof in this case. It should not be read as a broad medical finding about all restraint or sedation practices.

What the report says happened

According to OSI, callers first contacted 911 at 2:08 a.m. to report that Rivera had shut himself inside a bathroom. Additional calls followed at 2:39 a.m. and 3:55 a.m. Dispatchers told callers they were waiting for an officer to become available and later updated the call to a possible person in crisis.

The report says officers arrived shortly after 4 a.m., entered the apartment and found Rivera on the bathroom floor. Officers tried to speak with him, but he appeared unable to communicate effectively, according to OSI’s account.

Officers handcuffed him, carried him outside and tried to keep him on his side while waiting for ambulance personnel to approach. The report describes officers using their hands, feet and knees to restrain him at different points as he continued moving.

Ambulance personnel approached at about 4:15 a.m. The report says a paramedic decided sedation was needed for assessment and administered 250 milligrams of ketamine at 4:20 a.m. Officers and ambulance personnel continued restraining Rivera while waiting for the medication to take effect.

At 4:26 a.m., responders moved him into the ambulance. He became pulseless during assessment, according to OSI. Ambulance personnel, officers and Syracuse firefighters performed life-saving measures. Rivera was taken to Upstate University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5 a.m.

The medical findings and their limits

The report says Onondaga County Medical Examiner Dr. Dianne Vertes identified acute intoxication involving multiple substances as the cause of death and classified the manner as an accident. OSI reported that fentanyl and xylazine were among the substances found.

OSI also retained independent forensic pathologist Dr. Alfredo Walker. According to the report, Walker agreed with the cause and manner of death and concluded that the handcuffs and prone restraint did not cause Rivera’s death or significantly contribute to it.

The full report contains qualifications beyond the brief announcement. Vertes told investigators she could not comment on how ketamine affected Rivera in combination with the other drugs.

Walker discussed risks when ketamine is given to someone who has already taken other substances. According to OSI’s summary of his opinion, adding ketamine to Rivera’s existing mix of depressants and stimulants would have increased the risk of a fatal outcome, but its precise effect could not be determined.

Walker also considered the use of a spit hood. The report says he described general breathing and monitoring risks associated with such hoods, but concluded that this hood did not significantly contribute to Rivera’s death.

These are the medical opinions reported by OSI. This article does not independently determine the cause of death or resolve the uncertain effect of sedation.

What readers can review

The report says investigators sought interviews with the paramedic and emergency medical technician involved, but they did not respond to those interview requests. OSI nevertheless reviewed ambulance records and other evidence. That distinction matters when assessing what the investigation establishes and what information was unavailable.

For Mohawk Valley readers, the case is a regional example of the state’s process for investigating deaths involving police officers. OSI says Executive Law Section 70-b requires a public report when it investigates such a case and does not seek charges.

The complete report provides the timeline, witness summaries, medical opinions and legal reasoning behind the decision. This account is based on that document and the attorney general’s Nov. 9 announcement; it does not include an independently obtained response from Rivera’s family or the agencies involved.

Sources: Office of the New York Attorney General, Report on the Investigation into the Death of Alex Rivera, released November 9, 2026; accompanying official release. Medical and legal findings are attributed to the investigation.