Death investigated
James J. Monda was in dive gear when he went in water, State Police say
Trooper was in dive gear when he went in Great Sacandaga Lake Sunday.
State Police are investigating what they are calling the accidental drowning death of a veteran trooper on Sunday at Great Sacandaga Lake in Fulton County.
Trooper James J. Monda, 45, a Princetown-based member of a marine patrol unit since 2017, went into the lake wearing dive gear for reasons that are under investigation, State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen told reporters during a late afternoon briefing at Troop G in Latham.
Monda went into the water at a launch on Bunker Hill Road at about 4 p.m. and did not resurface. He was pulled from the water and taken to Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville where he was pronounced dead.
He is survived by his fiancee and his parents.
“It’s tough. We’re all hurting right now,” Maj. Christopher West, the commander of Troop G, told reporters. He said Troop G, the largest troop in the state, is like a family.
Monda, who joined the State Police in 2002, spent most of his career in Troop G.
West said he remembered Monda from when the trooper was in training in 2002. West was a sergeant at the time.
“He was well-liked by his classmates then, and it continued out into the field now all these years later,” West told reporters.
West described Monda as a conscientious hard worker who was selected for some of the most sought-after State Police assignments, such as the State Fair and the marine patrol assignment, which is separate from the State Police dive team.
“He did an outstanding job up until now and I’m sure he would have continued doing a great job,” West said.
Monda was a native of the Rotterdam area.
“He was well-liked in the area. A lot of people in the area knew him,” said West. “He joked around a lot that when he would stop people and see people (he knew) that he knew more people in the area than me, just a funny joke between us.
West added: “He’s going to be missed … he was well liked by a lot of us here. All of us.”
West was joined by Bruen and State Police Col. Steven Nigrelli.
The superintendent said an autopsy ruled out any medical emergency being responsible for the trooper's death.
“We need to conduct an investigation into exactly how this occurred,” Bruen said.
Bruen said investigators would look into a number of things, including the equipment that the trooper used, the actions of the people involved and possible training issues.
“It’s a dangerous occupation,” Bruen said. “The entire occupation is dangerous. Troopers’ families live with it every day that when the trooper leaves the house they may not come back.
“We have an obligation to make sure that when we have a situation like this that it’s thoroughly investigated,” he said, “and that if there are training deficiencies with our procedures that need to be changed or modified or equipment needs to be changed or modified that we do it.”
Bruen did not want to speculate why Monda suited up and got into the water.
New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association President Thomas H. Mungeer said the PBA would be assisting with the funeral arrangements.
“Trooper Monda selflessly dedicated his life to protecting and serving the public, and we will never forget his ultimate sacrifice,” he said in a statement.