BUFFALO, N.Y. — On a sparkling warm September day, the peaceful setting of Broderick Park - beloved by fishermen, walkers, and bikers - was suddenly transformed into a crime scene.
That was after a strange, still, under investigation, incident around 7 a.m. in which a vehicle, seen on a nearby surveillance camera, actually rammed through the protective railing and fell into the 20-foot deep river.
Buffalo Police on Wednesday said the search has transitioned into a recovery mission.
Nearby fishermen said they really didn't notice the crash.
Bryan Steckard told 2 On Your Side, "I didn't see or hear it. Then the police interviewed us and took us over to see where that railing was broken and there are tire tracks in the grass."
But he and others did spot two people struggling in the water. Steckard said, "I look over and I see this guy on his back and he's moving his arms like this but then I looked again and he seemed to be struggling and he went under for the last time."
Boats from the Erie County Sheriff's Office, the Coast Guard, and other agencies converged on the scene. And they searched throughout the day along with the Sheriff's Air One helicopter. Even cadaver dogs were brought in and walked along the shoreline down river to try to find any trace of the victims.
Also Buffalo police divers were in the river. But they had to deal with the dangerous, swift current and underwater obstructions.
Some may have asked if bystanders could do anything to help these individuals.
It turns out there are no life preservers here and Steckard, the fisherman, thinks he knows why. He said, "I think they were here at one time but then people started stealing them for the rope. My friend has a life preserver in his truck but he wasn't here today so we couldn't throw anything to anybody."
We cannot confirm the theft of life preservers. Police do carry life slings in some squad cars to throw at people. But they were not yet there and again that current is really fast - taking people down and away.
Again, police are not releasing any reason at this point as to why the car went into the river. The search ended for the night shortly after 9 p.m.
But police did release photos of the vehicle. They said the vehicle appears to be either a white or silver Dodge Caravan - with a dent below the bottom of the front passenger side door.
Also, witnesses at the scene gave the police a preliminary description of the two victims. One is a Black man wearing a black shirt. The other is a Hispanic man with a white beard, wearing a green or camouflage jacket.
Anyone with information regarding either the vehicle or the two men is asked to call Buffalo police, immediately.
We also learned that the police divers were extremely careful in the area as it was about the same location where Lt. Craig Lehner died in a training exercise back in 2017.