Police Chief: Body of unknown person pulled from Mohawk River at Schenectady

A fire official walks toward two ambulance workers as a police officer puts up crime scene tape — PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Alplaus assistant fire chief Andrew Coppola, center, talks with Mohawk Ambulance personnel at the scene Wednesday.

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SCHENECTADY – The body of an unknown person was pulled out of the Mohawk River near the railroad overpass in Schenectady, Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford confirmed late Wednesday afternoon.

Clifford could not confirm the sex of the person, the person’s identity or other details related to the body.

“I can just confirm that it is a person that we pulled out of the river,” Clifford said. “This is an active crime scene right now.”

Clifford noted that whenever a body is found in the river, police consider it a crime scene and evidence must be gathered.

The call came in just after 2:30 p.m. that someone had spotted what appeared to be a body. City police officers responded and confirmed there was a body in the river, Clifford said.

@dgazette Police Chief: Body of unknown person pulled from Mohawk River at Schenectady – 2/22/23 – Daily Gazette

City police then called in the New York State Police with their air boat and police retrieved the body from the river.

The body was found by a resident near Riverside Park, where teenager Samantha Humphrey was last seen in November. She remains missing and her disappearance touched off a series of intensive searches of the river there and down stream.

However, Clifford said the department is not jumping to conclusions before confirming the body’s identity.

The Mohawk River near Riverside Park at the Stockade and points down stream have been the focus of intensive searches since November for missing Schenectady teenager Samantha Humphrey. Then 14, she was last seen late on Nov. 25 in the area of Riverside Park.

Police converged on the Mohawk River in Schenectady Wednesday afternoon after a possible body was spotted in the river, according to police and the scene.

A dozen officers could be seen on the shoreline under the railroad bridge near Front Street pool.

An area there had also been taped off.

Schenectady police chief Eric Clifford announcing that the body of an unknown person was pulled out of the Mohawk River shortly before 3:00 pm on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/8o6RZsalcG

— Ted Remsnyder (@TedRemsnyder) February 22, 2023

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Schenectady and state police continue to search the area around Riverside Park on Wednesday afternoon after reports of a potential body found in the Mohawk River. pic.twitter.com/UFtVKlOMXK

— Ted Remsnyder (@TedRemsnyder) February 22, 2023