Police: Southampton Town court officer dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound

Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki said the death of a Southampton Town court officer is being investigated by town detectives. Credit: Google Maps
A Southampton Town court officer was found dead at the Hampton Bays courthouse Monday, according to Southampton Town Police.
Senior court officer Mark Sidor, 56, of East Quogue, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki. The incident is being investigated by town detectives and the town is awaiting a report from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office before determining a cause of death, he said.
“At this time the family has asked us to respect their privacy and allow them to grieve,” Lt. Susan Ralph, a department spokeswoman, said Wednesday in a statement. “Mark will be sorely missed by the members of the department, his fellow court officers and co-workers at Southampton Town Justice Court. Mark has dedicated himself to the Town of Southampton for over 36 years and was a great person.”
The town made counselors available and had chaplains and peer counselors at police department headquarters Monday and Tuesday, she said.
Ralph declined to disclose further details about the incident.
Family members declined to comment Wednesday when reached by phone.
Sidor was born in Riverhead on Sept. 2, 1963. He graduated from Westhampton Beach Senior High School in 1982 and graduated from the Suffolk County Police Academy in 1985, according to an online obituary. He became a part-time Southampton Town officer and later a town court officer, achieving the rank of senior court officer.
Sidor was a former East Quogue Fire Department chief and longtime member, and he had a passion for cooking and contributed to the department’s annual seafood party, according to the online obituary.
“He enjoyed the outdoors and spent many warm days clamming in the Shinnecock Bay and afternoons in his backyard with his family,” the obituary reads. “He will be remembered for always lending a hand to any friend in need.”
Sidor’s survivors include his wife, Daryn; children Alixandra McMahon, Courtney Sidor and Lucas Sidor; and a brother and sister.
Visiting hours start at 10 a.m. Saturday at Scott-Rothwell Funeral Home in Hampton Bays. A visiting time frame and directives to adhere to social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic are available on the funeral home’s website.
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