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Nathaniel Harvey Sr.

Age : 45

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 09/05/2021

Location : Oriskany Boulevard between Clinton Street and Westmoreland Street

City : Whitesboro

County : Oneida

State : New York

Agency : Yorkville Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Motorcycle driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Speeding. A Yorkville Police Department officer observed Nathaniel Harvey Sr. riding his motorcycle 18 mph above the posted speed limit on Oriskany Boulevard near the Yorkville–Whitesboro boundary. The officer made a U-turn, caught up with Harvey and activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 09/05/2021, 45-year-old Nathaniel Harvey Sr. was killed when he crashed his motorcycle on Oriskany Boulevard in the Village of Whitesboro while a Yorkville Police Department officer was pursuing him after attempting to stop him for speeding.
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The encounter began on Oriskany Boulevard near the boundary between Yorkville and Whitesboro. A later New York State review of police pursuits established that the Yorkville officer observed Harvey traveling 18 mph above the posted speed limit. The officer made a U-turn, caught up with Harvey and activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights.
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Harvey initially slowed after the officer activated the emergency lights. He then accelerated and continued driving west into Whitesboro while the Yorkville officer pursued him. The later state account indicates that the officer was unable to keep pace with Harvey's motorcycle.
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Harvey subsequently lost control of the motorcycle on Oriskany Boulevard between Clinton Street and Westmoreland Street and struck a utility pole. He was thrown from the motorcycle onto a roadway running parallel to Oriskany Boulevard and died from his injuries.
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No police vehicle was reported to have struck Harvey or his motorcycle. No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop sticks, roadblock or other vehicle-intervention tactic was reported. The available records do not provide Harvey's maximum speed, the police vehicle's maximum speed, the precise duration or distance of the pursuit, or the distance separating the officer and Harvey immediately before the crash.
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The involvement of neighboring police agencies initially created confusion about responsibility for the pursuit. Whitesboro Police Department subsequently issued a statement specifically stating that none of its officers participated in either the attempted traffic stop or the pursuit. Whitesboro officers assisted at the crash scene and secured it. The pursuit was conducted by the Yorkville Police Department.
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Whitesboro police also stated that their department was not conducting the investigation into the cause of Harvey's crash. The death received further state review and was subsequently included in New York's examination of police vehicle pursuits.
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Harvey was 45 and was identified as a Black man. Available public reporting about the fatal pursuit provides little additional reliable biographical information about his family, occupation, interests or life outside the encounter.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Yorkville Police Department officer who attempted to stop and pursued Nathaniel Harvey Sr. has not been publicly identified.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2021/09/05/whitesboro-police-pursuit-fatal-crash/8289049002/
https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2021/09/motorcyclist-killed-after-fleeing-police-in-whitesboro.html
https://wibx950.com/whitesboro-police-release-statement-on-fatal-labor-day-weekend-motorcycle-crash/
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person-csv/csv/?pagenum=62