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The mother who fell with her 5-year-old son from New York’s famed Niagara Falls was seen climbing over the railing before plummeting to her death, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The woman and her son plunged approximately 90 feet from the state park on Monday afternoon when they were visiting with her husband, who was the child’s father, officials have said. The woman could not be saved, while her son was critically injured.
Sun-Times Media reported the family was in town from Illinois.
NIAGARA FALLS PLUNGE: WOMAN, 5-YEAR-OLD SON FALL 90 FEET; POLICE ‘DON’T BELIEVE IT WAS AN ACCIDENT’
An Illinois mother has died and her 5-year-old son has been hospitalized after jumping from a cliff in Niagara Falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Robert Bennett )
Police received several calls around 12:30 p.m. about a woman and a boy “that had fallen into the gorge” near the Cave of the Winds elevator, New York State Parks Police Captain Chris Rola said, according to video shared online by The Buffalo News.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital on Friday the woman is believed to have climbed over the railing before the pair fell.
An Illinois mother has died and her 5-year-old son has been hospitalized after jumping from a cliff in Niagara Falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Robert Bennett )
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while “lifesaving measures” were taken for the child, who was rushed to a local hospital with a head injury, Rola said.
An Illinois mother has died and her 5-year-old son has been hospitalized after jumping from a cliff in Niagara Falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Robert Bennett )
“The investigation is still ongoing at this time,” Rola said, “but we don’t believe it was an accident.”
DEATH VALLEY PARK RANGERS SAVE HIKERS IN HEROIC RESCUES
An Illinois mother has died and her 5-year-old son has been hospitalized after jumping from a cliff in Niagara Falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Robert Bennett )
There was no update as of Friday regarding the severity of the child’s injuries, but officials said earlier this week he was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
Rescuers traversed over “300 feet of dangerous icy terrain” while trying to get to the victims, the New York State Park Police said Tuesday.
An Illinois mother has died and her 5-year-old son has been hospitalized after jumping from a cliff in Niagara Falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Robert Bennett )
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Police have not released the victims’ names, citing the boy’s young age and the active investigation.
Investigators are interviewing several witnesses, including the child’s father.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
