Members of the Gowanda and Western New York community are mourning the loss of a teacher and athlete.

Jason Beckman, 52, of North Tonawanda, died Monday morning after New York State Park Police responded to a vehicle traveling eastbound that exited the Niagara Scenic Parkway into the Niagara River near the Bird Overlook.

A physical education teacher at Amherst Middle School, Beckman was a 1991 Gowanda Central School graduate. He was a standout quarterback for the football team while in high school and later played the position at Canisius College.

State police reported Tuesday that they, Park Police, Niagara Falls Police and Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to the scene around 9:15 a.m. and commenced a search for the vehicle and any occupants.

Drone assets from multiple agencies, a State Park Police Rescue Vessel, State Police Aviation and Underwater Dive team members as well as a shoreline foot search were all utilized in the search effort. At approximately 10:49 a.m., the Park Police Marine unit located a vehicle submerged in the river near the scene, about 50 feet offshore.

Later, the State Park Police Marine Unit working with State Police Underwater Recovery Team members located Beckman’s body in the Niagara River. No other persons are believed to be missing from the incident and the search has concluded.

The incident remains an ongoing investigation.