ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Niagara County Sheriff's Office has released the names of two people who died Saturday afternoon following a police chase and crash.
The victims have been identified as 29-year-old Michael L. Walker and 28-year-old Ana G. Cerrato, both from Rochester.
According to the Sheriff's Office, just before 2 p.m. Saturday, a deputy identified a stolen car along Route 31 near Chestnut Ridge Road.
When the deputy tried to stop the car, the driver allegedly took off at a high rate of speed, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into a tree. The deputy approached the vehicle and found Walker and Cerrato inside the vehicle. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
"The vehicle continued to drive at a high rate of speed coming into the City of Lockport our car was still in pursuit but it had to back off due to the dangerous speeds the vehicle was traveling at. at some point they lost control of the suspect vehicle lost control striking a tree, " said Niagara County Sheriff, Mike Fillicetti.
The Lockport Police Department has taken over the investigation. and will review body cameras and the patrol unit's in-car cameras, the NCSO said.
East Avenue between Washburn and Spring Streets remains closed at this hour.