Officials: Cops probe apparent suicide at Stony Brook University campus

An apparent suicide closed down a portion of the Stony Brook University campus on Friday, law enforcement officials said.

Suffolk County police confirmed one person was found dead near the Graduate Chemistry Building, but said investigators had determined the death to be "noncriminal" -- and, as a result, said there would be no further comment on the incident.

University president Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., described the victim as "a former Stony Brook University student" in an email message to the university community released Friday afternoon, but did not provide further identification or description -- other than to say the victim was male. "The student's family has been notified, and I cannot begin to imagine the heartache and pain they are feeling right now," Stanley said in his statement.

The incident was first reported in an on-campus email to students, staff and faculty from university chief of police Robert J. Lenahan stating that access to the area had been restricted due to an ongoing investigation. "There is no threat to the campus community at this time," the statement said.

The email alert sent by Lenahan to "the campus community" said access to the area is limited and all students, faculty and staff are "asked to please stay clear of the area."

Stanley said that, after the discovery of the former student, who was unresponsive, he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The school said it will provide counseling services for students, should they need support dealing with the situation.

This is the second recent death involving a member of the university's campus community. On Feb. 16, Stony Brook University sophomore Jocelyn Pascucci was pronounced dead in the lobby of a Manhattan condo building.

The 19-year-old from East Meadow lived on campus but was out with friends in the East Village before her death. Early police reports said drinking alcohol might have exacerbated a pre-existing heart condition.