A Long Island high school volleyball coach who was accused of raping one of his players died by suicide hours after his first court appearance, authorities said.
Jason Maser, 22, intentionally stepped in front of a Long Island Rail Road train Friday night in Syosset, according to Newsday.
Maser had been arrested Thursday. According to police, he raped a 15-year-old girl on Feb. 7 and again on March 7. The girl played on two volleyball teams Maser coached, cops said.
At his first court appearance on Friday afternoon in Hempstead, Maser pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of sex assault and one count of child endangerment.
Maser, a Syosset resident, was a coach at Sacred Heart Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Hempstead, and B&B Volleyball, an Albertson-based club team. The alleged victim was a member of both teams, according to police. Both assaults occurred in Albertson, cops said.
Sacred Heart Academy and B&B Volleyball both fired Maser after learning about the allegations. Before Maser’s arrest, B&B told parents it had learned of an “inappropriate sexual relationship between an adult who coached for B&B Volleyball and one of our players.” Sacred Heart officials said they contacted authorities “immediately” after hearing the allegations.
Following Maser’s court appearance, he posted $75,000 bail and was released, Newsday reported. Police speculated after Maser’s arrest that there could have been more victims.
Maser stepped in front of Long Island Rail Road train #1573 at the Woodbury Road crossing in Syosset about 10:35 p.m. Friday, MTA officials told 1010 WINS. Investigators also said they found a suicide note. Maser had been expected back in court April 1.
This is now the second time in March that a tri-state area man has died by suicide after being accused of child sex crimes. John Magaldi, a doctor in Hartford, was found dead at his home on March 13. A few days earlier, Magaldi had been busted in a child prostitution sting and charged with attempted sexual assault.