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Salena N. Wallner

Age : 16

Gender : Female

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 12/28/2022

Location : Interstate 81 on-ramp, Town of Homer

City : Homer

County : Cortland

State : New York

Agency : Cortland County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Moving violation.
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NARRATIVE:
On 12/28/2022, 16-year-old Salena N. Wallner was killed when the SUV in which she was a rear-seat passenger crashed during a Cortland County Sheriff's Office pursuit in Cortland County, New York.
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At approximately 10:15 p.m., a Cortland County sheriff's deputy observed the SUV drive through a red traffic light at the intersection of State Route 281 and West Main Street in the Town of Cortlandville. The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on State Route 281. The SUV continued away and the deputy pursued it.
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The pursuit continued north toward Homer. While attempting to negotiate the turn onto the Interstate 81 on-ramp in the Town of Homer, both the SUV and the sheriff's patrol vehicle lost control and crashed. Wallner was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The SUV was being driven by a 15-year-old girl. Two additional passengers, ages 15 and 16, were also inside. All three surviving girls were transported to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse with serious injuries. The sheriff's deputy was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Police subsequently learned that the SUV had been reported stolen from the William George Agency for Children's Services in Tompkins County only minutes before the deputy attempted the traffic stop. The contemporaneous State Police account nevertheless identifies the observed red-light violation as the immediate reason the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://cortlandvoice.com/2022/12/29/4-youth-involved-in-car-crash-leaving-one-dead-nysp-press-release/
https://wcdoonline.com/localnews/2022/12/