A stolen dump truck, a drug-impaired driver, nine active warrants, and a lake. If that sounds like the setup to a bad joke, it was not, because it all actually happened in broad daylight on a Thursday afternoon in Central New York, and it ended with a truck sinking into Onondaga Lake while a man in handcuffs dripped on the shoreline.
On April 9, 2026, New York State Police and local officers found themselves in a multi-agency pursuit that stretched across Onondaga County, touching Manlius, Cicero, Clay, Liverpool, and ultimately ending at the Onondaga Lake Parkway near the railroad bridge, where the driver apparently decided the lake was a better option than pulling over. Spoiler: it was not.
The man behind the wheel was Dennis J. Williamson, 43, of Rome, New York, who was not exactly having his best week, given that he was allegedly driving a stolen truck, under the influence of drugs, on a suspended license, with nearly a dozen outstanding warrants to his name. By the time it was over, he was facing charges from two separate law enforcement agencies, a hospital visit, and a trip to the Onondaga County Justice Center.
How a Dump Truck Chase Crossed an Entire County
The whole sequence began around 2:11 p.m. when the Onondaga County 911 Center alerted state police that officers from the Manlius Police Department had tried and failed to stop the truck for traffic violations. A trooper picked up the trail on Route 481 in Cicero, but Williamson declined the invitation to pull over.
Things briefly slowed down in Clay, where two troopers actually managed to get Williamson stopped on Steelway Boulevard South. That victory was short-lived. He hit the gas again, this time ramming a marked State Police vehicle hard enough to damage its front end and push bumper, then kept right on going toward Liverpool.
At some point during the chase, officers deployed stop sticks, which are spike strips designed to deflate tires and end pursuits. They worked, kind of. Williamson continued driving for several more miles, just on completely shredded tires at slower speeds, before eventually grinding along on the truck’s bare metal rims. He made it all the way to the Onondaga Lake Parkway before the truck went into the water.
Nine Warrants, Two Prisons, and a Very Long Rap Sheet
Williamson was taken into custody after a brief struggle along the shoreline, according to State Police spokesperson Jennifer Jiron. He was transported to Upstate University Hospital for minor injuries and later released, at which point the legal machinery really kicked into gear.
State Police hit him with charges including criminal mischief, driving while ability impaired by drugs (with a prior conviction within the last decade), aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, obstructing governmental administration, and resisting arrest, plus 10 traffic citations. Manlius Police piled on with additional charges covering stolen property possession, reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing, reckless driving, and more, along with 16 of their own traffic citations.
The 2012 Ford F-550 he was driving had been reported stolen out of Taberg in Oneida County.
What made the situation even more striking was that Williamson had nine active warrants outstanding at the time of his arrest, though police declined to specify what those warrants were for. His history with the criminal justice system is not short: public records show he was sent to state prison in 2010 for first-degree burglary, and again in 2022 for second-degree assault. When exactly he was released from that second stint is not publicly clear.
What Comes Next for Williamson
Following his arraignment at Onondaga County Court, Williamson was remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center, meaning he is being held rather than released ahead of future court dates. With charges from two agencies, a long list of traffic citations, nine pre-existing warrants, and a prior record that includes two separate prison terms, the road ahead in court figures to be considerably longer than the road he drove into that lake.
The incident drew attention from passersby on the Onondaga Lake Parkway, with photographs circulating of the scene just before and after the truck entered the water. It was, to put it mildly, a lot of Tuesday activity for a Thursday afternoon in Central New York.