An Off-Duty Officer Died In A 'Serious' Motorcycle Crash In Ottawa & OPP Are Investigating
He was just 28 years old.
Constable Vijayalayan Mathiyalaghan.
A 28-year-old Ottawa Police Service officer died as a result of a "serious motorcycle collision" while he was off-duty Tuesday night.
Constable Vijayalayan Mathiyalaghan, who went by the nickname "Vijay," was in an accident on June 14 at around 8:40 p.m. The collision happened at Ottawa Regional Road 174 and Highway 417 in Ottawa's east end.
The former military member was with the Ottawa Police Service for just over a year and a half when the accident happened.
"He was a kind, friendly and gentle young man who was a credit to the Service and to the community he served with pride and dedication," said Ottawa Police in a tweet on Thursday.
Ottawa Police went on to say, "This is an exceptionally difficult time for those who knew Vijay."
"Our hearts go out to his family, friends and colleagues. We want to thank all of the emergency responders who rendered assistance at the scene, on and off-duty, including paramedics and Ottawa Hospital staff. Vijay will be missed."
At 10:08 p.m. on June 14, the Ottawa Police Service notified the public of the crash and that it might cause traffic delays. Then, at 8:30 a.m. the next day, the service announced in a tweet that Mathiyalaghan died as a result of the single-vehicle collision.
"With great sadness, we share that one of our members passed away last evening after a single-vehicle collision," Ottawa Police wrote. "The incident occurred off duty."
According to police, the accident is currently being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police.
"Flags at all of our buildings are half-mast in honour of our friend and colleague," Ottawa police said in the tweet.