Jocelyn Pascucci, a 19-year-old college student at SUNY Stony Brook from East Meadow, died early Saturday morning after a night out with her friends. Officials say she had a congenital steroid deficiency, which is believed to be the main cause of her death.
Pascucci was found stumbling down East 12th Street in the East Village of Manhattan with one shoe on at around 5 a.m. on Saturday morning. A doorman for an apartment complex let Pascucci in when he saw the shape she was in. She then collapsed in the lobby and was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital where she died.
Pascucci’s parents called her after not hearing from her by 3 a.m. At one point the doorman that had let her in answered her cell phone and told her parents that she was not doing well. By the time they arrived Emergency Medical Technicians were already performing CPR.
She had been out drinking with friends at Webster Hall as well as some other bars in Manhattan when she got separated from the group. The last bar she was seen at was just a few blocks away from the Zachary Condos, where she collapsed.
Officials say that her heart condition in combination with what she had ingested throughout the night contributed to her death. Her congenital steroid deficiency required her to take medication every day and also increased her risk of dehydration. Her father, Richard Pascucci, told sources that he heard rumors of her taking Ecstasy; however he did not believe them to be true.
An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.
Pascucci was a graduate of East Meadow High School. She was in her sophomore year at SUNY Stony Brook studying marine biology. In a statement released by SUNY Stony Brook, the school stated that she “is described by faculty, friends and staff who knew her as being selfless in her dedication to help others.”
