New York mother and two young children – including 5-month-old baby – died after jumping from Niagara Falls

A New York mother jumped from Niagara Falls with her two young children, including a 5-month-old baby — and all three have died, police said.

Chianti Means, 33, stepped over the guardrail Monday night at Luna Island — a popular waterfall overlook with a drop of nearly 200 feet, according to New York State Police.

Police responded around

“The circumstances are still under investigation,” state troopers said.

Means and her children — 9-year-old Roman Rossman and baby Mecca Means — were Niagara Falls residents.

Rescue workers were still unable to locate any of the bodies Wednesday.

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

Friends quickly began paying tribute to Means on social media.

“I’ve been 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’m literally sick to my stomach and I can’t even deal with the emotions I’m feeling. Just know that she and her children are very much 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 overlooks located above the New York side of Niagara Falls.

It’s one of the more secluded overlooks in the expansive Niagara Falls State Park—separated from the rest of the grounds by a dam over a river channel—and there’s little more than a chest-high railing separating the platform from the fatal fall. under.

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

More than 8 million people pass through the park each year, according to the state agency.

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

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

The 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 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.