Downsville Man Pleads Guilty in Crash That Killed Hancock Firefighter

DELHI, N.Y. — A Downsville man has pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter in connection with a 2025 crash that killed a volunteer firefighter responding to the scene in the Town of Hancock.

Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced that Joseph Bellows Jr. pleaded guilty July 28 in Delaware County Court to driving while intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor, and vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, a Class D felony.

The charges stem from a July 17, 2025 crash on State Route 30 in Hancock. Prosecutors said Bellows was driving a GMC pickup truck while intoxicated when the vehicle left the roadway and struck an electric pole.

The impact caused the pole to break and live electrical wires to fall near the roadway. Bellows was trapped inside his vehicle. Firefighter Jason T. McGlone, a volunteer firefighter who responded to assist Bellows, was killed after coming into contact with a live wire.

After a grand jury indicted Bellows on charges related to McGlone’s death, the case was litigated in Delaware County Court for nearly 10 months. A central issue was whether prosecutors had presented enough evidence to establish that Bellows was criminally responsible for the firefighter’s death.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the court ruled in favor of prosecutors, finding that the evidence presented was legally sufficient on the issue of causation.

During his guilty plea, Bellows admitted under oath that he was operating his truck while intoxicated by alcohol and that his operation of the vehicle caused the death of McGlone.

Bellows entered the plea without an agreement regarding sentencing. Delaware County Court Judge John L. Hubbard will determine the sentence after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

Bellows faces up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison on the vehicular manslaughter conviction.

District Attorney Smith credited New York State Police Investigator Jamie Cuff and Senior Investigator William Baumgartner for their work on the case.

“I am extremely proud of the work done by the New York State Police in this case,” Smith said in a statement. “This was not an ‘ordinary’ drunk driving fatality, and obtaining this conviction required a very detailed and comprehensive investigation into the defendant’s history.”

Smith said the conviction could not undo the loss suffered by McGlone’s family, but expressed hope it would provide some comfort that Bellows had been held accountable.

Image: Jason McGlone. (Credit: Facebook/Jason McGlone)