NEW CITY, NY – The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division announced that on Thursday, August 6, 2020, at approximately 8:07 PM Corrections Officers, while making scheduled checks of the housing area, found Jason Mendez alone in his cell attempting suicide by hanging.

Corrections Officers entered the cell and performed CPR until the arrival of Emergency Medical Personnel. Efforts to revive the inmate were unsuccessful.

Jason Mendez, 36, of Washingtonville, NY was declared deceased after being found in his cell by corrections officers. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office will oversee the investigation into the unattended death of Mr. Mendez and work with investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff’s office to determine what happened.

Jason Mendez was awaiting trial for the killing of Melissa DeLoatch, and mowing down her family in an incident that took place in February 2019 at the 7-Eleven on Central Highway in Haverstraw. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office has notified the victim’s family.

District Attorney Tom Walsh said, “I had my office immediately contact the DeLoatch family so they did not hear about the death of Mr. Mendez through other sources. It was always our office’s hope to bring justice to the victims and their families in this horrific case and we are saddened that it will not be the case. District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II continues to offer his sympathies to the DeLoatch family and will assist them in any way to help them get past this tragedy. “I would like to reaffirm that my office will work with the investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff’s office to conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into the death of Jason Mendez.”