New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city would begin transferring people with serious medical illnesses from Rikers Island jail to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. The Democrat made the announcement on his 97th day in office before a large crowd gathered in the Manhattan hospital's lobby.

Hospital staffers held up cellphones to record videos of Mamdani as he spoke in the Bellevue lobby. Dozens of additional onlookers watched the mayor from elevated walkways inside the hospital.

Among those in attendance was Ricardo Granados, a 67-year-old retiree who had been heading to a medical appointment at Bellevue when he stopped to watch Mamdani speak.

Under the new policy, inmates at Rikers Island with serious medical conditions would be sent to Bellevue, one of the city's public hospitals. Additional details regarding the number of inmates expected to be transferred, the timeline for implementation, and any security arrangements at the hospital were not immediately available.