ROME, NY — August 31, 2026 — Following Assistant Chief Ryan C. Voorhies' death in a UTV accident in Lewis County, the Lake Delta Fire Department is sending its sympathies to the Sylvan Beach Fire Department and his family.

Voorhies, 42, was the Sylvan Beach Fire Department's third assistant chief. At at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, Voorhies was driving a UTV south on MacKay Road in the Town of Turin when it veered off the road and collided with a tree, according to New York State Police. Emergency medical professionals declared him dead at the site.

Michael Fatiuk Jr., a 22-year-old passenger from Vernon, was taken by helicopter to Upstate Medical University in Syracuse after suffering severe injuries. The crash is still being looked into. Members of the Lake Delta Fire Department offered condolences to Voorhies' family and the Sylvan Beach Fire Department during this trying time. Parts of Rome, Lee, and Western, New York are served by the volunteer-run Lake Delta department.

The community was earlier urged by the Sylvan Beach Fire Department to remember Voorhies' wife, Katie, his boys, Gabe and Logan, and his whole family. The department was supposed to provide information on services as soon as it became available.

The statement from the Lake Delta Fire Department illustrates how fire departments frequently assist one another after a member passes away.