Volleyball Coach, 22, Commits Suicide on LIRR Tracks

A 22-year-old volleyball coach who was arraigned Friday on statutory rape charges after an affair with a teenage student has committed suicide, police say.

LIRR train service was restored at this Syosset railroad crossing just past 1 a.m. Sat after a man was killed on the tracks.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Nassau County Police shut down the Port Jefferson branch of the Long Island Railroad late last night to investigate a fatal hit by a LIRR train at the Syosset train station, the Long Island Rail Road said in a public announcement.

The man, now identified as Jason Maser, was struck at about 10:30 p.m. as he stepped onto the train tracks at the Syosset-Woodbury Road crossing in Syosset, LIRR MTA officials have disclosed. A police investigation of the incident concluded that the death was a deliberate suicide.

Flowers have been placed by those who loved him all around the Syosset neighborhood where Jason Maser lived.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Nassau County Police had arrested the young L.I. volleyball coach the previous day, after he was accused of a sexual relationship with a teenage girl at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead.

The arrest was major news: L.I. volleyball coach accused of raping teenage girl.

Public announcement of Maser's arrest by the Nassau County District Attorney came with an invitation to the press to see police proudly display their latest collar outside Nassau County Police Headquarters on Old Country Road in Mineola Friday morning.

Police tape flutters in the wind this morning, hours after investigators concluded their work at this Syosset railroad crossing.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Maser was flanked by two NCPD detectives as they exited the cage in the rear of the building, posing for photographs and television news reporters invited for the photo op. Police routinely show off defendants in custody with potential for strong headlines, in return for flattering coverage of the arrest, before the now-famous defendant is removed to the District Court for arraignment.

Police also circulated Maser's mug shot to the media.

Jason Maser, in a mug shot emailed to editors yesterday morning to go with their coverage of his arrest and arraignment.Photo byNassau County Police Mug Shot

Maser's attorney, John Carman, was retained by his family. Carman has privately confirmed the identity of his deceased client.

Police said Maser also held a coaching position at the B & B Volleyball Club in Albertson, Long Island. They had previously asked the public for help identifying other victims of the coach. Now they are delivering news to the defendant's family.

Sign near the train tracks at the Syosset-Woodbury Road crossing, scene of a fatality Friday night, March 22, 2024.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Persons close to the investigation say Maser left at least one note, possibly revealing his plan before it was attempted.

He was briefly held on $150,000 bail bond set by Judge Marie McCormack. He was released a few hours later after the bail was paid, according to court filings and inmate records.

LIRR train approaches the Syosset crossing where police say a man committed suicide.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Jason Maser's next court appearance was scheduled for April 1, 2024. Procedurally, his attorney will appear on Maser's behalf and inform the court formally that his client has died. The case will then be "abated based on death of the defendant."