N.Y. Woman ‘Deliberately and Intentionally’ Drove Car into Niagara River Before Her Death: Police
The woman’s vehicle was found on the rocks Wednesday, approximately 75 yards above the brink of Niagara Falls
By Joelle Goldstein
Authorities believe the New York woman who died after her car plunged into the Niagara River drove into the frigid waterway on purpose.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Detective-Sergeant Brian Nisbet with the New York State Park Police says information thus far has indicated that the woman “deliberately and intentionally drove her car into the upper Niagara River and the rapids” on Wednesday.
Nisbet also notes that authorities are currently interviewing friends and relatives of the unidentified woman in her 60s as the investigation continues.
The New York State Park Police first confirmed the incident in a social media post, stating that multiple agencies responded to the scene after reports of a car “approximately 75 yards above the brink of the American Falls.”
According to police, “the vehicle entered the water upriver from the pedestrian bridge and floated toward the brink before coming to rest.”
Nisbet tells PEOPLE the car entered the water at 11:42 a.m. and that authorities started receiving 911 calls “pretty much immediately afterward.”
A video posted by the NYS Park Police shows the car nearly completely submerged as water rushes around it and snow falls from the sky. The trunk of the car is open, as are several of the windows.
Authorities were unable to make a land rescue, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to intervene by sending a helicopter and rescue swimmer.
Nisbet tells PEOPLE the Coast Guard helicopter didn’t arrive until 2 p.m., more than two hours after the car had plunged into the frigid waters. The woman was pulled from the vehicle shortly after.
