15-year-old passes away in Upper Nyack

 15-year old girl dead in apparent suicide at Nyack’s Summit School

NYACK – A 15 year old Long Island girl was found dead at Nyack’s Summit School on North Broadway on Friday in an apparent suicide.

Police and first responders with the Rockland Paramedic Service were called to the school at 6:30 a.m., where the girl was found unresponsive. Paramedics declared her dead at the scene.

According to Clarkstown Police, who took the lead in the investigation, the Rockland County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and concluded the girl deliberately asphyxiated herself with a plastic bag.

A statement issued Monday by Summit School Principal Deborah Sherwood stated the school is cooperating with police in the investigation. The girl’s name has not yet been released due to privacy issues.

“This is an unthinkable tragedy,” The statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, the friends of the student and our staff.”

The school’s clinical team and social workers are working with staff and students who might be struggling to cope with the loss. A local bereavement center has also stepped forward to provide services to staff and students.

The Summit School is a residential school for adolescents and young adults with learning and behavioral difficulties. It currently houses 115 young people between the ages of 13 and 21.