New federal records have uncovered surveillance footage from Jeffrey Epstein’s jail cell on August 9, 2019, showing an orange-colored shape moving up the stairs toward his housing tier at approximately 10:39 p.m. The figure reappeared in camera view by 10:41 p.m., contradicting official reports that no one entered Epstein’s unit during the night.
According to a Department of Justice observation log, the image was noted as moving up the L tier stairs toward Epstein’s cell area. This detail had not been reported by authorities in their initial assessments.
Investigative documents reveal that the FBI initially described the figure as possibly an inmate or an officer carrying orange linen. However, the timing is inconsistent: bedding deliveries occur during daytime shifts, typically before 5 p.m., and no one was allowed on that floor at 10:39 p.m. The Department of Justice Inspector General later noted that the figure might have been an officer but did not identify this individual in their records.
Corrections officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were assigned to Epstein’s unit that night. Both admitted during interviews that they were asleep for periods between 10:00 p.m. and midnight and did not complete required inmate counts or wellness checks until after Epstein was discovered dead. Thomas stated he had no recollection of anyone walking up the stairs toward Epstein’s tier around 10:30 p.m.
The released surveillance footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center includes a one-minute gap between 11:59 p.m. and midnight, which officials previously attributed to tape reset. Federal records now show that the FBI, Bureau of Prisons, and Department of Justice Inspector General possess an unedited version without this gap. Attorney General Pam Bondi had claimed the missing minute was due to a camera glitch or nightly tape reset process.