A grief-stricken Bronx mother is demanding New York City hand over documents that detail her daughter’s final moments before she strangled herself with her sweater inside an NYPD holding cell.
Thomasina Cheatham, 46, whose daughter Saniyah Cheatham, 18, died in the custody of the Bronx’s 41st NYPD precinct while being held overnight on the Fourth of July in 2025, filed a petition against the city because its agencies allegedly failed to respond to her Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) about her death.
According to the Sept. 3 papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Saniyah was experiencing a mental breakdown when she was arrested at a party in Crotona Park after getting into a fist fight with her girlfriend.
The teen allegedly told police that she was having suicidal thoughts and said that if she was left alone, she would take her own life, according to the documents.
It’s not clear how she knew that her daughter was having these ideations.
But Saniyah was locked up alone in a cell at the Longwood Avenue stationhouse anyway, where she was later found dead around 1 a.m. on July 5, 2025.
“Despite her clear need for mental health intervention, NYPD officers ignored her statements and placed her in a holding cell by herself,” the petition states.
Thomasina argues that city officials failed to properly treat her daughter, and is asking for her entire file from the FDNY related to the EMS response to her daughter’s death.
She claims that the fire department has repeatedly shot down her requests and appeals, but they are a public agency obligated to hand over Saniyah’s file. She allegedly first requested the documents in February.
“These preventable failures are inexcusable and we will use every legal avenue to uncover the truth, protect the evidence, and seek full justice for Saniyah’s family,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump in an October 2025 statement.
In November 2025, Thomasina filed a separate petition calling for the NYPD to turn over the names of the officers who arrested Saniyah and were responsible for her on the night she died.
She also demanded to review all body camera, security video and records related to her daughter.
At the time of Saniyah’s death, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson acknowledged her family’s concerns.
“At a time when we continue to work to build trust and partnership with the NYPD, we must also ensure that this family’s pain and trauma is (sic) acknowledged as they seek answers and justice for Saniyah,” Gibson wrote in a statement.
Thomasina, her attorney Jeremy Ravinsky, counsel for the city, and the NYPD did not return requests for comment. The FDNY declined to comment.
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If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
