Man Accused Of Ramming Family With Car Reported Jail Cell Suicide

An inmate at the Rockland County jail killed himself Thursday, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office reported.

At 8:07 p.m., corrections officers who were making scheduled checks of the housing area said found an inmate alone in his cell who was attempting suicide by hanging.

They entered the cell and performed CPR until the arrival of Emergency Medical Personnel, corrections department officials said; however, efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

The inmate was identified as Jason Mendez, 36, of Washingtonville, NY.

Mendez was awaiting trial for killing Melissa DeLoatch while mowing down her family at a 7-Eleven in 2019. SEE: Grand Jury Indicts Driver Accused Of Crushing Family.

Prosecutors alleged that after being asked to put out a cigarette he was smoking near a family of children, Mendez drove his car across the parking lot of the 7-11 convenience store on Central Highway in Garnerville, ran them down and then drove into them again.

The family included children ranging in age from 11 months to 10 years. The mother, Melissa Castillo, died as a result of the injuries she sustained when hit by Mendez's car, a 2013 Infiniti with Texas license plates.

Mendez was still in the parking lot when officers from the Haverstraw Police Department arrived. When he got out of his car, he pointed a box cutter at the officer and refused to drop the weapon, prosecutors alleged. Mendez was tasered and placed under arrest.

The Rockland County District Attorney's Office has notified the victim's family.

District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said he continues to offer his sympathies to the DeLoatchfamily and will assist them in any way to help them get past this tragedy.

"I had my office immediately contact the DeLoatch family so they did not hear about the death of Mr. Mendez through other sources. It was always our office’s hope to bring justice to the victims and their families in this horrific case and we are saddened that it will not be the case," he said. "I would like to reaffirm that my office will work with the investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff's office to conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into the death of Jason Mendez."