The serene suburbs of Long Island have been rocked by a sickening scandal – a youth volleyball coach stood accused of violating the trust placed in him by his players and their families in the most unforgivable way. But this unthinkable breach would not face justice’s reckoning. In a stunning turn, Jason Maser, just 22 years old, chose to surrender his life in a Final Exit under the wheels of a roaring Long Island Rail Road train.
It was only hours earlier that Maser appeared in court to face the soul-crushing allegations. The charges painted him as a wolf among lambs – two counts each of rape and sexual assault against a 15-year-old girl who had the misfortune of being under his tutelage. A sickening pattern of abuse emerging, with attacks in February and March at locations in Albertson where he coached for local club B&B Volleyball.
In that dreadful Friday afternoon hearing, a hollow man entered a plea of not guilty. But the mask had already slipped for the once-trusted mentors at Sacred Heart Academy and B&B, who swiftly cut ties upon learning of the depraved claims, the former calling police “immediately.”
Temporarily a free man after posting $75,000 bail, Maser fled the halls of justice and prosecution’s glare. But by 10:35 pm, a final Judge’s gavel pounded – under the wheels of that fateful LIRR train 1573 at the Woodbury Road crossing. A suicide note was the only verdict this self-made executioner left behind, its contents unknown.
The fallout has sent a temor into the heart of this Long Island community. Police claimed there could be more victims, more brokenPromises and innocence sacrificed at the altar of Maser’s disturbing cravings. A court date of April 1 now holds only hollow meaning.
Passing in the night like this, Maser’s death eerily echoes that of Dr. John Magaldi. The Hartford medico took his life too on March 13, days after his own arrest for child sex crimes in an undercover sting.
As investigations undoubtedly try to chart how far the stain has spread, Long Island remains united in prayer – that no more wolves emerge from this shadow, and that the young survivors can somehow regain their lost innocence.