Ex-NJ beauty queen did cocaine before NYC death, report says

The New Jersey native, former beauty queen and Long Island dermatologist found dead in a Chelsea apartment with bruising on her neck had been using cocaine, according to accounts cited by the New York Post.

The Post cited a law enforcement source saying Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny, 38, did cocaine at some point before her death. And it quoted a building resident who described the scene as paramedics tried to revive her.

“She came out topless. Her face was white and her lips were blue. They were doing chest compressions,” the resident said, according to the Post. “The man standing next to her was pacing … he looked suspicious because he was was pacing indecisively.”

The report said Cerveny had met with Marc Henry Johnson, 51, a married music producer on the Lower East Side, before they went to the Chelsea apartment together. It also said Johnson left the scene, though he was later questioned by police and released.

DNAInfo New York reported the bruising on Cerveny's neck may have been due to a prior medical procedure, citing unnamed sources.

Cerveny, a New Jersey native who lived in Long Island, was crowned America’s Junior Miss in 1995. She was listed as the chief of dermatology at Brooklyn Hospital Center and is an assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, according to the Daily News. The couple have two children, according to the report.

She graduated from Washington Township High School in 1995.

In a Facebook post Monday, The Distinguished Young Women program — the new name for the Junior Miss contest — said Cerveny "was a stunning and intelligent young woman, destined for greatness even before she captivated the hearts of America in Mobile, Ala.. We will always remember her warmth, her laughter and her desire to make a difference in this world!"

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.