Dec. 8—New York State Park Police said a woman in her 60s was the lone occupant of a vehicle that plunged into the upper rapids Tuesday.
The woman was pulled from the car by the crew aboard a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter shortly before 2:30 p.m.
New York State Park Police Cpt. Christopher Rola told News 4 the driver of the car, a local woman in her late 60s, has been pronounced dead.
The car went into the upper Niagara River this morning some time around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. As of 1:10 p.m. rescue crews from Niagara Falls Police, Fire and Park Police were preparing to enter the river and attempt a rescue in the rapids just above the brink and 75-feet from shore.
The New York Power Authority decreased waterflow as the rescue proceeded. The roof of the car became more visible.
It was just after 10:40 a.m. when Jeremy Smith was walking across the Goat Island pedestrian bridge.
"I saw a car float on the far side," Smith said. "Then I thought I saw a person in it. It kept floating. I thought I saw a guy. The person next to me thought they saw a woman and maybe a child in the back seat."
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