Aaron Swartz, charged with hacking MIT archive system, commits suicide

Web entrepreneur and political activist Aaron Swartz, who made headlines in 2011 when he was charged with hacking into MIT’s network and mass downloading millions of documents from a subscription-based archive, took his life in Brooklyn Friday, according to a statement from his family and partner.

Swartz, 26, hanged himself in his Brooklyn apartment Friday, according to the statement and the New York Medical ­Examiner’s Office.

“We are in shock and have not yet come to terms with his passing,” said Swartz’s family in the statement. “We’re grateful for our time with him, to those who loved him and stood with him, and to all of those who continue his work for a better world.”