State and local investigators are probing the death of a retired FDNY battalion chief’s son who languished for eight hours in a jail cell — despite pleas for medical help — and died at a hospital, sources said on Wednesday.
The tragic July 14 demise of John Gleeson Jr., 40, first reported by The Post, is under investigation by the New York State Commission of Correction, the Nassau County Police Department and health care providers for the jail where he died, according to Nassau County corrections Investigator Capt. Michael Golio.
“The death of Mr. Gleeson is under investigation by numerous agencies,” Golio said Wednesday. “The Sheriff’s Department is cooperating and assisting with these investigations.”
Gleeson was jailed at the end of May for stealing metal — something that family members said he did out of desperation after becoming addicted to painkillers following an injury. His parents did not bail him out in an effort to show him some tough love, with the hopes he would turn his life around.
The father of two told jailers he had angioedema, a condition that causes his hands to swell, and said it could be fatal if it spread to his chest and neck, his father said.
The family’s attorney James Pascarella is also leading an independent investigation and promises to turn over findings to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
“He was in a Nassau County correctional facility,” Pascarella explained. “Any way you want to slice it, it’s their responsibility to keep him safe. It’s their responsibility to take care of any health issues he has. It appears that wasn’t done here and that’s unacceptable.”
Family members claim a friend who works inside the jail told them Gleeson first complained of the swelling around 2:30 p.m. and followed up with several pleas for help until he finally passed out and was taken to the hospital at 10:30 p.m. He died a half-hour later, his neck swollen to twice its normal size, the elder Gleeson told The Post.
Pascarella said he will push for prosecution if his investigation shows workers’ failure to act was criminal.
“We’re doing our own investigation and, absolutely, if there’s potential criminality, we will contact the DA’s office,” he said. “We want to make sure that, one, this never happens to anyone again, and two, that John’s memory is preserved and that justice prevails here.”
Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death, but sources in her office stopped short of calling it an investigation.
County Executive Edward Mangano referred calls to the Sheriff’s Department. Elected officials who represent the family in the county and state legislature did not respond to calls for comment.