Oswego Police do not yet know why a man and his car plunged into the frigid Oswego River early Sunday morning.
Crews recovered the body of Joshua Barbour, 36, of Oswego late Sunday morning about a block north of where his vehicle entered the river. They found his car later that evening in about 40 feet of water.
Oswego Mayor Rob Corradino said Monday police are waiting for results of an autopsy and for New York State Police to analyze the car’s computer for clues as to why he and his vehicle jumped a curb at the end of West Seneca St. and broke through a pedestrian fence at the river’s edge.
Corradino said he met this morning with police and public works officials and plans to find a way to erect stronger barriers at several points where city streets end within yards of the river.
It’s the second such tragedy in the last year. In August, a woman drove her vehicle into the river a block north of Sunday’s accident.
Corradino noted that the river has been here for centuries and the city’s scenic riverwalk for decades.
"Obviously it's happened twice now within the last year where somebody drove into the river," Corradino said. "So it's not something that has been on our radar or something of a high priority, but now it's got our attention."
Corradino said there are several spots along the river where more protection could be added to prevent vehicles from entering the river.
“In instances where we have a road like what happened here on Seneca Street or the end of Cayuga Street or last year at the end of Schuyler Street, let's see what we could do to at least slow down or make it almost impossible for a vehicle driving on the road who is not intending to go into the river to prevent them from going into the river.”
Friends mourned on their social media pages the loss of the man they called "Uber Josh" because he was the chatty ride home for many Oswego residents after a night out. “He had the entire community ALWAYS getting home safe,” said one poster. "He’d do it for free if it meant they didn’t freeze", said another.
The cover photo on Barbour’s own Facebook page shows a van and one of Oswego’s trademark sunsets, with the van parked at the river’s edge.
