STATEN ISLAND, NY – Angelo DeGracia grew up with a love of making people laugh. As the father of three girls, the South Beach resident welcomed his first grandchild just a few months ago.

“He was a girl’s father,” said Stephanie Ortiz, the mother of one of his children, tearfully during a phone interview with Advance / SILive.com. “He really tried to avoid more trouble and spend as much time with them as possible.”

DeGracia’s family is now looking for answers almost a month after he died in police custody in Brooklyn.

“Many in the family have many questions about how he was treated,” Ortiz said.

Angelo Degracia, 42, of South Beach, passed out in a holding cell and died in a Brooklyn hospital. He was charged with being under the influence of drugs in an accident in New Springville on Thursday, May 20, 2021, and was treated with naloxone. Photo shows remains of the crash on Forest Hill Road near Richmond Hill Road. (Staten Island Advance / Jan Somma-Hammal)

DeGracia was behind the wheel of a vehicle at around 12:50 p.m. on May 20, which collided with several cars parked on Forest Hill Road near Richmond Hill Road, police said in a written statement earlier.

An off-duty nurse, whose house is next to the crash site, was one of the first people to respond to the scene. She said DeGracia had no pulse and was removed from his vehicle by an off duty detective before the two responders raised DeGracia’s legs to increase blood flow to his heart, resulting in a radial pulse and slow irregular breathing.

He was found “somewhat unresponsive” by the emergency services before the responding units administered naloxone, Advance / SILive.com previously reported refusal to take a breath test.

DeGracia was taken to Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) in Prince’s Bay for treatment, where he was given a second dose of naloxone, police said.

Shortly thereafter, “the suspect was acquitted by hospital staff and then transferred to Red Hook Court Central Booking within the boundaries of the 76th ward,” police said.

The NYPD statement does not explain how long DeGracia was with SIUH before he was released; However, in an email to Advance / SILive.com, SIUH stated, “Northwell Health does not publicly discuss a patient’s health record due to privacy concerns,” adding, “All patients are thoroughly screened prior to discharge or transfer of custody.” considered.”

DeGracia had tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) after the hospital crash, sources said.

While booking Red Hook Court Central Booking, DeGracia passed out and unresponsive in the holding cell at around 11:35 p.m. – less than 12 hours after the crash – and was transferred to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead.

“We were sad to hear of the tragic death at 88 Visitation Place, Brooklyn,” said a statement from the Red Hook Community Justice Center. “The NYPD has been overseeing the premises since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Red Hook Community Justice Center staff have temporarily moved operations off-site and have no information about on-site activities.

Officials had used Brooklyn processing facilities for defendants for distancing purposes during the pandemic, sources said.

The city’s medical examiner found that DeGracia’s death was accidental and due to acute fentanyl, cocaine, and norbuprenorphine poisoning.

Angelo DeGracia, 42, who was pronounced dead on May 20, 2021. (Facebook photo)

DeGracia didn’t have strong role models growing up, said Ortiz, the mother of his middle child and the man’s girlfriend for more than 25 years until his death.

His mother Janette was tragically shot to death in Mariners Harbor in 2006.

“He lost his mother and sister years ago,” said Ortiz. “So he definitely had things to mourn and fight.”

DeGracia has had multiple arrests and previously had time for his convictions. However, despite his struggles, he “never gave up on the idea – no matter how many times he was in trouble – he never gave up on the idea of ​​being a father,” Ortiz said.

The 42-year-old was also a talented artist. His Facebook shows designs he’s created for various companies and tattoos he’s done. He previously studied graphic design at the Art Institute of New York City.

He enjoyed spending time with his three daughters Angelique, 25; Trinity, 15; and Kesi, 9, said Ortiz. “He loved taking them out shopping and taking pictures with them, and even though we weren’t together, we were still friendly,” she added.

FAMILY QUESTIONS

Ortiz received the call from the mother of DeGracia’s eldest daughter after his death. The family immediately started asking questions, she said.

“When they got to the scene, how was he treated; when he was rushed to the hospital, why he was discharged when the condition he was supposed to be in when they arrived didn’t sound like someone to be discharged in a couple of hours, “Ortiz said.

“It just sounds crazy,” she said.

Now the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the incident. This type of investigation is a standard procedure if someone dies in a police custody-related situation, a source said.

This investigation remains active and ongoing, a police spokesman told Advance / SILive.com last week.