19-Year-Old Man Arrested After Trespassing, Trapped in Abandoned Fishkill Prison Cell

A 19-year-old man named Cody M. Mallon from Argyle, New York, was arrested after breaking into the abandoned Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill to take photographs but became trapped inside a prison cell. The incident occurred just after midnight on June 14, 2025, when Mallon entered the shuttered maximum-security prison by crawling through a hole in the perimeter fence. He called for help, and state troopers along with the Glenham Fire Department responded to free him from the cell. Mallon was charged with third-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, and issued an appearance ticket to appear in Fishkill court at a later date. The Downstate Correctional Facility was permanently closed in 2022 due to declining prison populations, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced plans to redevelop the site into affordable mixed-income housing and community space. The redevelopment proposal includes amenities such as a playground, walking trails, and about 200 construction jobs.