A beloved football coach was pulled out of the Niagara River this week after his car went down into the body of water.

According to reports, State Park Police, New York State Police, Niagara Falls Police, and the Niagara Falls Fire Department all responded to a call relaying details of an accident on Monday.

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The Democrat & Chronicle notes that a Jeep was found around 50 feet offshore on the morning of. They had been searching for a missing vehicle that had gone into the river, using drones, aviation, and dive teams, with officers also searching on foot.

A body was recovered and was later identified as Jason Beckman.

“The submerged Jeep was located roughly 50 feet offshore around 10:50 a.m., said Trooper James O’Callaghan. On Monday, State Police divers recovered a body from the water. That person – later identified as Beckman, was pronounced dead and his body was taken to the Erie County Medical Center for an autopsy,” they reported.


New York State Police noted that the 52-year-old drove off the Niagara Scenic Parkway into the river. His vehicle was submerged near the Bird overlook.

His passing comes on the back of two high school coaches passing away in horrific shooting incidents, one in a school shooting and the other at an apartment where his nephew was the only other person found.

Amherst Central School District Mourns Shocking Death Of Football Coach

The Erie Canal’s western end is in Tonawanda where the Niagara River meets the Tonawanda Creek on July 22, 2025. The western end used to be in Buffalo where Canalside is now located (Photo via Imagn Images)


Beckman was the varsity football coach with the Amherst Central School District in NY and coached the boys’ varsity bowling team.

The district made a statement after the discovery, lauding Beckman’s impact and longstanding service as an educator and a coach.