According to reports, Collin Rossiter, 22, an NYPD officer, was found dead by apparent suicide at his home in Huguenot on Thursday morning.
Rossiter, of the Farrell class of 2018, was a standout defenseman for the Monsignor Farrell Hockey Team and a well-known player in the Staten Island hockey community. His teammates praised him for his positive attitude and kind demeanour.
Chris Schuler, who coached hockey at Monsignor Farrell, said of his former player, “I liked teaching him,” in an interview with the Advance/SILive.com. “Being in his company was a blast.”
Before joining the NYPD, Rossiter worked as an employee at a Lowe’s in Staten Island, where Schuler claimed he last saw him around a year ago. According to Schuler, he has a “really positive” personality and is “extremely helpful with a huge smile.”
“The loss of Police Officer Collin Rossiter has saddened the Monsignor Farrell High School community,” said Farrell’s president, Lou Tobacco.
Vir Fidelis, Loyal Man, was a motto that Collin exemplified to the letter. She claimed that while at Monsignor Farrell, Collin was known for going above and beyond to assist his classmates and teachers.
At the 2014 Our Lady Star of the Sea Live, Laugh, Love fashion show, Collin Rossiter is seen here making his way down the catwalk. (Bill Lyons / Staten Island Advance) Staff-Shot
Because of his selfless nature, he spent his whole working life with the New York City Police Department. “We pray for Collin and his family and send our greatest regrets to them and his NYPD family,” Tobacco said.
According to Thomas Kocian, Rossiter’s former instructor at Monsignor Farrell, “Farrell is a brotherhood, a fraternity, so I can say that we are really grieved at the death of our brother.” This was reported by Advance/SILive.com. Kocian continued, saying that he recalled Rossiter having a dry sense of humour but wasn’t shocked that Rossiter went into public safety.
As reported by several sources, Rossiter joined the NYPD in 2021 and was assigned to the 60th Precinct in Brooklyn.
A domestic violence episode on Coney Island in November 2022 resulted in the death of 42-year-old Jermaine Hickson, and reports say that Officer Rossiter was involved.
Police union chief Patrick Lynch expressed his anger and sadness over the death of a fellow officer. “The cops in New York City are under a tremendous amount of stress, and I don’t just mean job-related stress. The top brass in New York City and the NYPD are aware of the changes that are required. “Unless they do, the pain will continue.
Lynch recently wrote an opinion piece in which he attributed officer suicides to a number of issues, including the psychological toll of extreme scrutiny, authoritarian management, and the fear that getting aid may have a detrimental influence on one’s career.
District Attorney Michael E. McMahon described the incident as “a full, horrible, awful catastrophe” on Twitter. This morning, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this police officer, as well as the whole NYPD family. We are all responsible for ensuring our first responders are okay and have our backs.
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