Before the disaster, Joshua E. Gushlaw, a 31-year-old local trooper, who is a husband and father, was riding with friends in Lyon Mountain on Sunday evening. A local trooper was murdered in an off-duty snowmobile accident, and his loved ones, law enforcement, and the community as a whole are mourning his death.
As word of Gushlaw’s death spread Monday morning, he was recalled as a hardworking family guy, an unwaveringly devoted friend, and a noted jokester. Gushlaw was discovered in the woods approximately three miles from the Lyon Mountain trailhead in Dannemora after State Police were notified of the collision about 10 p.m.
The news of Gushlaw’s death shocked his family and law enforcement colleagues, and it shook the tight-knit town where he grew up and now raises his young family. Authorities believe Gushlaw was heading east when he lost control and went off the trail into surrounding woods, according to preliminary inquiry. At the scene of the accident, he was pronounced dead.
“My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Trooper Joshua Gushlaw from New York State Troop B Plattsburgh. A tragic loss. We should all be thankful for his service to our community and state. Keep Joshua, his family and friends close in thought and prayer. Rest well Trooper.”
Members of the Morrisonville Fire Department, Gushlaw’s hometown department, said “Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh, his family, his friends and fellow law enforcement co-workers. We worked with Josh on many scenes over the years. Always a fair and professional trooper. You will be missed and your loss will be felt in our community.”
His wife, two young children, and a huge extended family in the neighborhood survive him. The Hamilton Funeral Home on Mannix Road in Peru will have calling hours on Thursday, Feb. 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. A funeral ceremony will be place at St. Peter’s Church in Plattsburgh on Friday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.
Donations to NYSP Signal 30 can be donated in his honor.
Michael S. Cashman, Plattsburgh Town Supervisor, was one of several who expressed profound condolences to individuals who had been affected by the tragedy on Monday afternoon.
The accident investigation was still ongoing Monday afternoon, and no other information was available at the time.
