Video reveals guards standing near Epstein’s cell
A recently uncovered surveillance video from the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death shows prison guards leisurely hanging about a few feet away from the cell where he reportedly took his life.
The video reveals Correctional officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas idly lounging in front of the officer station in the Special Housing Unit of Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center around 3:15 a.m., writing on a piece of paper, talking on the phone, and strolling back and forth instead of carrying out the compulsory 3 a.m. rounds that should have been performed, as evidenced by the video extracted from the DOJ documents.
Epstein’s cell was in close proximity, just down a brief set of stairs behind the officer station of the ninth floor L tier wing at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Documents indicated that Epstein likely took his life sometime between 10:30 p.m. on August 9 and 6:30 a.m. on August 10. During this span, Noel, who was on a double shift, last checked on inmates at 10:30 p.m., and Epstein’s body was discovered at 6:30 a.m. by Noel and Thomas while serving breakfast to inmates, the Department of Justice reported.
The guards seemed to overlook bright-orange notices and alerts that the officer in charge of the Special Housing Unit had issued to them. These reminders emphasized that Epstein, fresh out of suicide watch, required a roommate at all times and periodic check-ins.
Lt. Roberto Grijalva, the SHU boss, revealed that he had left the instructions next to the computer screen for the weekend at 2 p.m. on August 9. He suspected that someone had removed the notes by Monday.
Grijalva disclosed that around 8 a.m. on August 9, he walked Epstein and his cell mate, convicted drug dealer Efrain Reyes, downstairs as Epstein spent the day meeting with his lawyers, and Reyes was preparing to depart. He also made it clear to the staff that Epstein needed a new cell mate upon his return from meetings.
Grijalva also noted the reason Epstein had multiple orange sheets in his cell, the same cloths he used to hang himself. The mistake occurred when officers forgot to remove Reyes’ sheets after his discharge and had given Epstein extra sheets after he complained about feeling cold.
House Oversight Committee Chair called Noel for an interview on March 26 following reports of her searching for Epstein online and making mysterious cash deposits. Noel and Thomas were dismissed for falsifying records suggesting they checked on Epstein regularly, whereas they actually missed their 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. rounds. Although criminal charges against both officers were dropped in 2021, they were terminated from their positions.