By Hank Russell
Law enforcement officials are trying to determine how a man — who was detained by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Nassau County jail — died.
The Nassau County Police Department reported that, on September 18 at 6:30 a.m., Third Precinct Police and a Nassau County police medic responded to the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow for a 42-year-old man in his cell who was not breathing. Upon arrival, the man was found to be unresponsive and not breathing. The medic pronounced the victim dead.
The victim was removed to the Nassau County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.
“There is an ongoing investigation which will be thorough and transparent to determine the cause of death,” Nassau County Sheriff Anthony Larocco told Newsday and The Long Island Press. “Nassau County takes seriously its obligation to treat every prisoner humanely.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Nassau County Police Department and was referred to the attorney general’s office.
Seth Koslow, a Nassau County legislator who is running for county executive against Bruce Blakeman, called the incident “a tragedy that demands answers” and placed the blame on Blakeman.
“Bruce Blakeman has turned our jail into a political experiment by putting his political buddies in charge instead of focusing on safety and accountability,” Koslow (D-Merrick) said. “I’m calling for a legislative hearing to ensure transparency, responsibility, and justice for all residents, including anyone in our jails.”
LILP reached out to Blakeman’s office for a rebuttal, but did not respond as of press time.
The investigation is ongoing, along with the AG’s office. Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the AG’s office for more information. A spokesperson referred LILP to the NCPD to get details of the arrest.
LILP also reached out to ICE for more information, but did not hear back as of press time.