Suicide Victim's Mother Files Suit Against County, Jail

The mother of an Iraq war veteran who at the on Feb. 28 has filed suit against the jail and Nassau County for "the personal injuries and wrongful death of her son."

Bartholomew Ryan, 32, who was living in East Meadow, is a who served for a year in Al Taqaddum, Iraq. Ryan hung himself with a noose made from a sheet just one day after being incarcerated at the East Meadow jail.

Ryan had been arrested on misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs and excessive speed. A corrections officer discovered Ryan hanging in his cell and he was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. at (NUMC).

According to his family, after Ryan returned from Iraq he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which led to his drug problem.

The notice of claim filed by Parker Waichman LLP on behalf of Lilyann Ryan alleges that the respondents failed to properly monitor, supervise and care for Ryan, despite knowing that he suffered from drug addiction and psychological diseases, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Among other things, the claim also alleges that the respondents failed to properly intake Ryan into the Correctional system, and failed to place him in a proper custodial setting given Ryan's tendencies and inappropriate behavior.

The notice further alleges that the respondents failed to transport Ryan in a reasonable time frame to obtain medical treatment and failed to administer accepted life-sustaining treatment in an emergent time frame after Ryan hung himself.

"Upon admission to the facility, he was examined by both medical and mental health staff before being placed on the special housing tier in the new admission area," Nassau County Sheriff Michael Sposato said in an email to Newsday.

The East Meadow-based jail has been under , as the number of untimely deaths at the jail continues to climb.

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