Search fatalities

Name Withheld

Age :

Gender : Male

Race : Unknown

Date : 03/26/2026

Location : Gateway Harbor, Erie Canal near Webster Street

City : North Tonawanda

County : Niagara

State : New York

Agency : City of Tonawanda Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Drowned

Event : Drowned during police pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Police attempted to stop Baker for a traffic violation.
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NARRATIVE:
On 03/26/2026, 36-year-old Jeffrey A. Baker of Buffalo died after jumping into the Erie Canal while running from City of Tonawanda police officers following an attempted traffic stop in North Tonawanda, New York.
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At approximately 1:12 a.m., a City of Tonawanda police officer observed a gray Volvo commit a traffic violation near Main and Niagara streets. The vehicle continued across the Renaissance Bridge into North Tonawanda, where police initiated a traffic stop on Webster Street.
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After the Volvo stopped, Baker got out of the vehicle and ran. Officers pursued him on foot through an alley and toward Gateway Harbor and the Erie Canal.
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Police said Baker entered the Erie Canal while attempting to escape the pursuing officers. Officers deployed a water-rescue throw bag, which Baker was initially able to grab. Police began pulling him toward shore.
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During the rescue attempt, Baker became unresponsive while still in the water. An officer entered the canal and brought him to shore. Police and emergency personnel performed lifesaving measures before Baker was transported to Kenmore Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Police subsequently said they learned that Baker had outstanding warrants from two additional Erie County law-enforcement agencies. Those warrants were discovered after the encounter and were not the stated reason police initially attempted to stop his vehicle.
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Baker's identity was initially withheld while authorities notified his family. Police subsequently publicly identified him as Jeffrey A. Baker, 36, of Buffalo.
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The circumstances establish that Baker entered the canal while actively attempting to escape a police foot pursuit. There is no evidence in the reporting located that Baker entered the water intending to die. His death is therefore classified here as a drowning during police pursuit rather than suicide.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The City of Tonawanda Police Department has not publicly identified the officer who initiated the traffic stop or the officers who pursued Baker on foot. The officer who entered the Erie Canal and pulled Baker from the water has also not been publicly identified in the sources located.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/man-dies-after-jumping-into-erie-canal-during-police-pursuit
https://www.btpm.org/local/2026-03-26/man-dies-after-chase-with-tonawanda-police-ends-in-erie-canal
https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/local/suspect-dies-after-jumping-into-erie-canal
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/man-dies-jumping-erie-canal-145827080.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/police-man-dies-jumping-erie-152814565.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/man-dies-jumping-erie-canal-174106871.html
https://people.com/man-36-dies-after-allegedly-jumping-into-erie-canal-to-evade-police-11936702