Details are starting to emerge regarding the sudden collapse and death of Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce in the State House late Monday night.

Assembly GOP Leader Alex DeCroce
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The late Assemblyman's second-in-command and the lawmaker/doctor who tried to save Assemblyman DeCroce's life are helping to make the picture clearer but there are some things that may never be known.

 

Assemblyman DeCroce collapsed in a restroom near the rear entrance to the State House. It is estimated that happened just before 11pm. He was found by a staffer, but no one knows for sure how long Assemblyman DeCroce was lying in distress before he was discovered.

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Herb Conaway
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Assemblyman Herb Conaway (pictured, left)  who is also a doctor says he was gone from the State House when he received a call in his car that the GOP Leader had collapsed. Conaway estimates it took him about 20 minutes to get back to the capital and he literally ran into the building.

"When I arrived at the scene our State House nurse and State Troopers were administering CPR," explains Conaway. "I helped in that process of administering CPR and making assessments and eventually it was appropriate to pronounce him dead." Conaway says he personally made that pronouncement and it came at 11:30pm.

Extended Audio from Assemblyman Herb Conaway: 

Jon Bramnick
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A caucus vote is expected next week and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (pictured, right) is expected to assume Assemblyman DeCroce's leadership post. He says, "The troopers worked really hard and they did the best they could, but he was gone. It's sad especially when you have everybody who loves him standing around. You almost lose it."

Extended Audio from Assemblyman Jon Bramnick: 

Conaway feels, in the absence of a full medical report it would be inappropriate to say with certainty what caused Assemblyman DeCroce's death, but he does say that given the circumstances it is not unreasonable to think it could be related a cardiac arrest type of situation.

Bramnick does not know of any history of health problems for his close friend, Assemblyman DeCroce. Asked if it seemed as though something wasn't quite right, Bramnick responded, "There was no indication to anybody that he was ill during the session. He seemed a little tired, but by 11 o'clock at night when the legislature had been there all day everybody looked tired."

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