Ray Digiacomo identified as Nassau jail inmate who died Wednesday, police say
The guard tower at Nassau County jail in East Meadow. Ray Digiacomo, 45, was discovered in his cell at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday and pronounced dead one hour later at an area hospital, county police said. Credit: NEWSDAY/Ed Betz
A Bethpage man has been identified as the inmate who died after being found unconscious in his cell at the Nassau County jail in East Meadow on Wednesday.
Ray Digiacomo, 45, was discovered in his cell at 12:15 a.m. and pronounced dead one hour later at an area hospital, Nassau County police said.
No cause of death has been released. It was being investigated by police and the medical examiner, officials said this week.
Digiacomo was remanded to the jail Feb. 2 on a warrant for violating probation, according to court records. He was then arraigned Feb. 22 on criminal contempt, aggravated harassment and stalking charges for making threats over the phone, but had not posted bail, records show.
Nassau court officials said Digiacomo had three prior arrests, including a 2018 unlicensed DWI case that led to a sentence of 6 months in prison and his recent probation violation.
Digiacomo's court-appointed attorney, Michael Nolan of Garden City, could not be reached for comment Friday. His law partner, Joe LoPiccolo, said investigators are awaiting autopsy results to determine a cause of death.
A spokesman for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said Blakeman would reserve comment on the death of the inmate until the investigation is complete.
The Office of Special Investigation for New York State Attorney General Letitia James is also conducting a preliminary assessment of the death, a spokeswoman said late Wednesday. Neither office offered an update Friday.
It is the second death at the jail in just over three months. Nikita Pertsev of Brooklyn died Nov. 23 of an apparent drug overdose, Nassau officials said at the time.
State law allows the attorney general's office to assess every death of a person in custody or incarcerated. If the assessment indicates an officer caused the death, the office will conduct a full investigation.
The death Wednesday also was reported by the jail to the New York State Commission of Correction, which is conducting an investigation, as they do with every inmate death, officials said.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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