Second Tragic Suicide of Aquarium Exec Reported

In a grisly and tragic twist, the second suicide of a high-ranking Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center executive has been reported in Riverhead Thursday.

According to Riverhead Local, Robert Lanieri, the food services director for the Long Island Aquarium, was found dead Thursday at his Jamesport home, the victim of an apparent suicide, police reportedly said.

The suicide is the second such tragedy to befall the Aquarium -- cofounder James Bissett is believed to have committed suicide in December, 2011; he was found dead in his car at Veterans Park in Mattituck. His death rocked the Riverhead community as mourners remembered him as a man who breathed new life into the downtown business arena.

Riverhead town police have not officially released a police report regarding Lanieri's alleged death and said Thursday night that only an aided case was reported in Jamesport at 1:36 p.m.

Lanieri was mourned Thursday night. "I have known him for many years and he was a highly energetic and extremely compassionate man," Riverhead Town Councilman Jim Wooten said. "He was always available and would render assistance no matter who asked him. Who really knows why people do things like this? I will pray for him and his loved ones. His shoes will be hard to fill. I am still in a state of shock."

According to Riverhead Local, Lanieri, who was also a former Riverhead Chamber of Commerce president and whose wife, Diane Stuke Lanieri, is Suffolk County's deputy treasurer, was set to retire soon.