Troy PD release body cam video in bike pursuit death

The Troy Police Department has released body camera footage in relation to a drowning death in Troy. The person who drowned has also been identified as Melquan Simpson, 33, of Troy.

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department has released body camera footage in relation to a drowning death in Troy. The person who drowned has also been identified as Melquan Simpson, 33, of Troy.

You can watch the in-car camera and body-worn camera video of the incident in the player above. Viewer discretion is advised.

On Monday, officers were in the area of 2nd Avenue and 116th Street after receiving community complaints of illegal drug sales and prostitution over the past few months. When an officer in a marked vehicle tried to interview Simpson, who police said was repeatedly circling the block on his bicycle, he took off. Police said Simpson was wearing a balaclava ski mask and carrying a cross-body pouch at the time.

Police pursued Simpson until he rode his bike over an embankment into the Hudson River, as shown in the body camera video. One officer used a water rescue apparatus to help Simpson while a second officer entered the water. Rescue efforts continued with the help of the Troy Fire Department and the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team. Simpson was later found dead under the water.

After further investigation, police found that Simpson was a parolee and was actively wanted by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision as a parole absconder. He was also found to have cocaine inside the cross-body bag he was wearing.

The officers involved have been identified as Dean Mahunik, who joined the Troy Police Department in 2020, and James Hallenbeck, who joined the department in 2022. The investigation continues with a preliminary assessment being conducted by the New York State Attorney General’s Office.