High School Volleyball Coach Was Charged with Raping Girl, 15, Then Died by Suicide

A 22-year-old N.Y. man who worked as a girls volleyball coach at a local private school was accused of raping a player on two occasions

A Long Island man who was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl has died by suicide, police say.

22-year-old Jason Maser, who was a girls' volleyball coach at Sacred Heart Academy in the Long Island town of Hempstead, N.Y., was first arrested last Thursday for allegedly raping a player on his team on two occasions. On Friday night, he died after he purposefully stepped in front of of Long Island Rail Road train, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police told local radio station 1010 WINS and other outlets.

MTA police had responded to the Woodbury Road crossing in Syosset, Maser's hometown, at about 10:35 p.m. following reports that a man had been hit by a train, per WINS. Working with the Nassau County Police Department, they identified Maser, found that he had left a suicide note and ruled that he had "intentionally" stepped in front of the train, according to NBC New York.

Maser's attorney, John Carman, confirmed to Long Island News 12 on Saturday afternoon that his client had died. The volleyball coach — who also coached a club team that the alleged victim played for — had been arraigned earlier Friday morning. His bail was set at $75,000 (or a $150,000 bond) and he was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim, according to Newsday.

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"The family is devastated for obvious reasons," John Carman told Newsday. "While they process what has occurred, they are concerned for the young woman involved."

Maser was accused of raping the student at the Catholic prep school two times between February and March in his Jeep Cherokee, according to CBS News New York. The school told the outlet in a statement that it "took immediate steps to ensure that the coach had no further access to Sacred Heart's premises or any social activities" after the allegations against Maser surfaced.

B&B Volleyball Club, the club team that Maser worked for, told the outlet that he had participated in "mandatory training with US Safe Sport and had been screened by USA Volleyball which includes a background check," but was later removed by the club after the charges were made public.

Maser was charged with two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child, and would have faced up to four years in prison if convicted.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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