New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office reviewing in-police custody death of Cesar Flores, source says

The office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James is reviewing the circumstances of the death of a 32-year-old New Cassel man who police said died in their custody after suffering “a medical emergency” while at Nassau’s Third Precinct, a law-enforcement source familiar with the probe said.

Cesar D. Flores had been in jail for criminal possession of a controlled substance, the Nassau County Police Department said late Sunday.

He suffered the medical emergency just before 1 a.m. Thursday at the Williston Park precinct, according to a police department news release. After officers initially rendered medical aid, he was transported by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday.

Late Sunday, Nassau Police Lt. Richard LeBrun said Flores had been arrested Thursday on two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Police on Sunday did not immediately release additional details on the type of medical emergency Flores suffered at the precinct or a potential cause of death.

Family members of Flores’ could not be reached for comment. It was unclear whether Flores had an attorney.

Since April 2021, the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigations has been required by law to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute any criminal offense that a police officer may have committed in connection with any incident in which the officer caused someone’s death.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks during the New York State Democratic Convention on Feb. 17, 2022, in New York. Starting Monday, Oct. 2, Judge Arthur Engoron will preside over a non-jury trial in Manhattan to resolve remaining claims in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, his company and top executives. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig

In March, an inmate at the Nassau County jail in East Meadow died after being found unconscious in his cell. Ray DiGiacomo, 45, was discovered in his cell and pronounced dead one hour later at a hospital, Nassau County police said. He died of an overdose with fluorofentanyl, heroin, fentanyl and codeine in his system, according to the Nassau County Office of the Medical Examiner.

Nicole Fuller is Newsday’s senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.