Lynbrook resident, NYPD recruit dies at 23 of leukemia

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A Lynbrook man who was training in the academy of the New York City Police Department died after a short battle with Leukemia on Nov. 14. He was 23.

Jake Siciliano was diagnosed with leukemia in October. He died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, his fiancée, Ashlee Ragusano, wrote in a statement on Facebook.

"Heaven has gained an angel," Ragusano wrote. "The most amazing angel there will ever be, with the purest & kindest heart."

Siciliano was a month away from graduating from the police academy. He and Ragusano got engaged on Oct. 1, just weeks before Siciliano received the fatal diagnosis.

Siciliano graduated from Lynbrook High School in 2012 and went on to play lacrosse for Nassau Community College before joining the police academy. Ragusano, who lives in Hewlett, made a GoFundMe page to support Siciliano on Oct. 23.

The Lynbrook Lacrosse Alumni group planned a fundraiser at Craft Kitchen and Tap House to help Siciliano with his medical bills on Nov. 18. After his death, they held the event in his honor, according to the Lynbrook Moms’ and Dads’ Club’s Facebook page.

"Lynbrook Moms' and Dads' Club sends their heartfelt prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Jake Siciliano," the post read. "The event scheduled for Saturday will go on as a celebration of Jake's life."

Visitation for Siciliano was held at Perry Funeral Home in Lynbrook on Nov. 16, and his funeral Mass was on Nov. 17 at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Hewlett. NYPD officers lined the street during the ceremony and there was a helicopter flyover.