The man who died in an NYPD precinct earlier this month had complained for several hours about chest pains and was ignored by officers, according to his girlfriend who was in custody at the same time.

The NYPD said Haleem Johnson, 38, was found unconscious and unresponsive in a holding cell at the Midtown South precinct around 2 p.m. on April 1. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West Hospital soon after.

Police said the incident is under investigation by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division, a unit that looks into police shootings and deaths of people in police custody.

Johnson, who was Black, was arrested the day before along with his girlfriend, Aqaw Bior, for a domestic violence incident at his Hell’s Kitchen apartment, according to police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

An NYPD spokesperson did not respond to questions about Bior’s account, and said Johnson’s death was under investigation.

Bior said Johnson had been detained in his cell for more than 20 hours when she heard him yell to police officers he was having trouble breathing. Bior said she also tried to get the officers’ attention from her cell, which was across the hall and within earshot of Johnson.

"Do you know how many times I asked, ‘Is Haleem OK?’” said Bior, who goes by Indigo. “They were like, ‘We’re a little busy right now,’ eating McDonald’s."

"I heard him [Johnson] say, 'Get off of me' and, 'My chest hurts,'" Bior added.

Bior said she later saw Johnson carried out of the station on a stretcher.

The next day, the NYPD issued a notice of a "death in police custody" at the precinct.

Bior said Johnson suffered from high blood pressure and alcoholism, and did not have access to his medication while he was detained.

The NYPD reported the pair was arrested around 2 p.m. on March 31. Bior said she was first taken to Bellevue Hospital for mental health treatment. About 14 hours later, she said she joined Johnson in the Midtown South precinct on West 35th Street while they waited to be arraigned in court.

But Johnson never made it to court. He died roughly 24 hours after his arrest.

“My heart is killing me,” Bior said outside Johnson’s apartment building on Wednesday. “I come here every day just to remember, just to see, maybe it ain’t real.”

The cause of Johnson’s death is still under investigation by the city's medical examiner.

Johnson’s aunt, Towanda Daniels, said the NYPD contacted a family friend around 9 p.m. that night, five to six hours after Johnson died. Detectives didn't arrive to deliver the news in person until 2 a.m., she said.

Police declined to release Johnson’s name to Gothamist for nine days after his death “pending family notification,” more than a week after his family members said they were notified.

“They let him die,” Daniels said.

Daniels thought her nephew may have had a heart attack based on preliminary information she was given by the medical examiner.

Johnson, who went by Holla Dollar, was always dancing, according to his family and friends. He’s remembered for his signature shuffle, the “Holla Woody.”

“Nobody could do it like him,” said Daniels. “Even if you were mad at him, you couldn’t stay mad at him too long. He’s one of those types of people.”

Johnson’s girlfriend and friends gathered outside his apartment building on Wednesday, speculating about what happened to him.

“Me and him we were real close, mad cool,” said Tara Roper, Johnson’s friend and neighbor. Both worked together at Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, where Johnson was a supervisor.

Nancy Smith, another neighbor who goes by Smitty, said he used to advise Johnson on how to court the ladies with the right bouquet of flowers.

“He went through a lot,” Smitty said. “He’s a lovable young man.”

Daniels, Johnson’s aunt, said the two used to catch up every other day by phone.

“He always wanted to FaceTime,” she said, laughing. “He could never just talk regular. He always wanted to see your face.”