Woman Who Died at Niagara Falls Drove in Intentionally: Police

"The New York State Park Police investigation into yesterday's incident of the vehicle entering the Niagara River is still ongoing," a spokesperson said. "At this point in the investigation, entry into the water appears to be an intentional act."

Tire tracks in the snow indicate the driver drove down a walking path, but then backed up and continued through one of the only openings in the barriers near the upper rapids.

Meanwhile the Coast Guard hero who made the risky rescue attempt, Aviation Survival Technician second class Derrian Duryea, recounted the ordeal to WIVB.

"Once we got on scene, there was obviously snow was still blowing and our biggest concern was the car's position, was the car gonna move, what were we gonna do if I was down there and the car started to move?" he said. "I was able to open the passenger side door and put myself in between the door frame and the actual car door against the current."

Sadly, by the time he got to her, the woman had been in the frigid water for two hours, and was already dead.

The vehicle has since flipped over and floated even closer to the edge; it remains stranded just yards from the top of the waterfall. The victim's identity has yet to be released. Police were only able to ascertain the car's license plate number via drone because the trunk was open.

Duryea insisted on sharing the praise with his fellow Coast Guards: light mechanic Jon Finnerty, helicopter co-pilot Jake Wawrzyniak and aircraft commander Chris Monacelli.

"You know, I can't give enough credit to my crew," he said. "They did everything right. You know it's not all about me, it's also about our pilots and flight mechanic. They are just as much a part of the crew as I am."

Dramatic scenes unfolded on Wednesday as the Coast Guard attempted to rescue a woman whose car somehow ended up floating toward the edge of Niagara Falls.

Crowds gathered on the banks of the rushing river as rescuers raced against time to help the driver before the vehicle was pulled over the edge of the 180ft drop.

While a helicopter successfully managed to pluck the woman from the car, sadly it was too late; they discovered she was already dead inside the car.

The drama kicked off on Wednesday afternoon when multiple witnesses reported seeing the car floating along the river.

State Parks Police Captain Chris Rola told WIBV that police and fire drones were quickly scrambled to try ascertain how many people were in the car. They quickly discovered there was just one -- and she didn't appear to be moving.

With the Coast Guard helicopter hovering above in difficult weather conditions, a crew member managed to winch down and get inside the car, grabbing the driver before flying to safety.

Captain Rola said it was impossible to wade out to the vehicle safely without two anchoring points of contact, so the decision had been quickly made to use the chopper.

Investigators still do not know why the vehicle entered the water. The yet to be identified deceased woman, who lived locally, is believed to have driven into the river between the nearby passenger and traffic bridges.

"We've never had a vehicle in the water this close to the brink," he said.

Rola praised the "incredible" effort made by the rescuers in what were extremely dangerous conditions.

The Canadian Coast Guard also assisted in the rescue effort. State Parks Police are now trying to figure out the safest way to retrieve the stranded vehicle from the water.