In a tragic turn of events, a 36-year-old man has died after he jumped into a canal in New York state. As reported by People, this was allegedly because he was trying to evade police.

The City of Tonawanda Police Department has released a statement on social media about the incident. The incident happened in Tonawanda, New York, which is about 10 miles from downtown Buffalo.

The incident happened on March 26, 2026, at around 1:12am local time, according to the statement. “[A police officer] observed a gray Volvo sedan commit a Vehicle and Traffic Law infraction at the intersection of Main Street and Niagara Street,” the statement continues.

It then went on to describe how a traffic stop put in place by Tonawanda police led to the man being forced to stop. After, “The driver of the subject vehicle fled on foot. A foot pursuit ensued eastbound along a nearby building… towards Gateway Harbor along the Erie Canal,” the statement continued.

And then, in a shocking turn of events, “the male subject did then jump into the Erie Canal in an attempt to evade police.” Tragically, the 36-year-old didn’t survive. This was despite responding officers dragging him out of the canal and attempting “life-saving measures”.

The Man Was Found To Have Outstanding Arrest Warrants

And it turns out that there was a possibility he jumped in there to get away from the police. While nothing can be confirmed at this time, the statement said that the man was wanted.

“Upon further investigation of the incident, it was discovered the… suspect did have outstanding warrants for his arrest from two other Erie County law enforcement agencies.”

Following the incident, the police officers involved in this tragic incident have been placed on administrative leave. The statement says that this is “per department policy”.

The identity of the man has not been released, as the Tonawanda Police Department wishes to contact his family beforehand. They have also said “no additional information is available” at the moment, citing the ongoing investigation.

May the man rest in peace.