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New York mother and two young children – including a five-month-old baby – died after jumping from Niagara Falls
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New York mother and two young children – including a five-month-old baby – died after jumping from Niagara Falls

A New York mother jumped from Niagara Falls with her two young children, including a five-month-old baby – and all three are dead, cops said.

Chianti Means, 33, climbed over the guardrail Monday evening on Luna Island — a popular viewing spot above the falls with a drop of nearly 200 feet, according to New York State Police.

Police responded around 9 p.m. and investigators concluded the crash was “intentional.”


A group of tourists stand on Luna Island and enjoy the view of Niagara Gorge through the fog in Niagara Falls, NY
Rescuers are still searching for their bodies. Linda Harms – stock.adobe.com

“The circumstances remain under investigation,” state troopers said.

Means and her children – 9-year-old Roman Rossman and baby Mecca Means – lived in Niagara Falls.

Rescuers had not been able to locate any of the bodies as of Wednesday.

According to her LinkedIn profile, the mother worked as a domestic violence counselor and graduated from high school in nearby Buffalo.

Friends quickly began paying tribute to Means on social media.

“I was speechless and crying and couldn’t sleep at all,” friend Kayshawna Morgane wrote on Facebook. “My heart is broken. Mental health is no joke.”

“I can’t even bear to write a post about her and share memories,” said friend Mich Molina.

“I literally feel sick and can't even handle the emotions I'm feeling. “I just know that she and her children are very loved by me and my children,” she added.

“You really never know what someone is going through,” said another, Niesha Eukeya.

Luna Island is one of several popular viewpoints above the New York side of Niagara Falls.

It's one of the more secluded overlooks in the sprawling Niagara Falls State Park — separated from the rest of the site by a causeway over a river channel — and there's little more than a chest-high railing separating the platform from the deadly abyss below.

The area is managed by the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation and is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

According to the state agency, more than 8 million people pass through the park every year.

The deaths were just the latest tragedies at the landmark in recent years.

In 2023, another mother jumped into the Niagara Gorge with her son, just downstream from the falls.

This mother died in the fall, but rescuers were able to save the five-year-old boy.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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