The family and legal team will hold a Monday news conference to demand answers
NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 13, 2025) –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will hold a news conference to announce that he is representing Thomasina Cheatham, the mother of 18-year-old Saniyah Cheatham, who tragically died while in NYPD custody on July 5, 2025. The family is calling for accountability and answers from the NYPD about how this tragedy occurred.
The NYPD claims Saniyah took her own life, but her family is demanding full transparency, including the immediate release of all video, including surveillance video from inside the 41st Precinct. Saniyah was preparing to start her next semester at Bronx Community College.
Attorney Crump issued the following statement:
“Saniyah Cheatham was an 18-year-old with her whole life ahead of her. I commend her mother, Thomasina, for her courage in standing up to demand the truth. How could this happen to a young woman in police custody? Why wasn’t her safety ensured by those charged with her care? No mother should be left in the dark after her child dies in police custody. We demand full transparency and accountability for this grieving family.”
WHO:
Thomasina Cheatham, mother of Saniyah Cheatham
Attorney Ben Crump
Tamika D. Mallory, Co-Founder of Until Freedom
Justice League NYC
WHEN:
Monday, July 14, 2025, at 12 pm ET
WHERE:
NYPD 41st Precinct
1035 Longwood Ave
Bronx, NY 10459
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MEDIA CONTACT:
[email protected]
ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
