After a nighttime traffic stop on Thursday, July 26, a Galway man allegedly jumped into the Mohawk River to escape police and drowned, according to police reports.
State Police pulled over Richard S. Bennett, a 41-year-old, on July 26 in the area of Route 5 and Route 103 in the Town of Glenville. Police have not disclosed in press releases why Bennett was stopped.
Bennett was last seen entering the Mohawk River, according to police, after allegedly fleeing on foot. Efforts to locate Bennett were unsuccessful Thursday night and police continued searching for him the following morning.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 27, police located his body in the river just west of Lock 9 in Glenville, according to police reports. Further investigation revealed the man found was Bennett.
An autopsy was performed at Ellis Hospital and asphyxiation from drowning was determined as the cause of death, according to police. The death was ruled accidental, police said, and toxicology results are pending.
