Off-Duty Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy Dies in Madison County Crash

The Sheriff's Department in Madison County is investigating the tragic death of an off-duty Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy while on a motorcycle ride with a group in Madison County on Sunday afternoon.  According to police, 58-year-old William Pufky of Lafayette was found in a ditch along Nelson Road in the Town of Lincoln on Sunday at around 3:40 p.m.. He was treated at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse and later died from injuries received in the crash.

Police say, on Sunday September 21st, 2025, at approximately 3:40PM, Madison County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to the area of Nelson Road near Watson Road, Town of Lincoln, for a reported personal injury automobile accident involving a motorcycle. The call notes indicated that the involved motorcycle had driven into a ditch, and that the operator was unconscious.

Upon arriving on scene, Deputies located a 1998 Harley Davidson Motorcycle in the ditch off the eastern shoulder of Nelson Road. The motorcycle’s operator and sole occupant, identified as Pufky was unconscious on the scene. Pufky, who was later determined to be an off-duty Onondaga Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to the Custody Division at Jamesville with 23 years of service, was transported to Upstate University Hospital via Mercy Flight for treatment of severe injuries received in the crash.

The Sheriff’s Office investigation into the incident has shown that Pufky was riding with a group at the time of the collision. While traveling northbound on Nelson Road in the Town of Lincoln, Pufky failed to negotiate a sharp curve in the roadway, causing his motorcycle to leave the eastern shoulder of the road, subsequently entering a ditch and overturning. No other vehicles were involved in the collision.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office was assisted on scene by the New York State Police, the Lincoln Fire Department, the Canastota Fire Department, the Madison County Office of Emergency Management, the Greater Lenox Ambulance Service, Madison County EMS, and Mercy Flight Central.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:   This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the Madison County Sheriff's Department. Regardless of any statements or photographs regarding potential evidence presented or accusations alleged, the reader is reminded that all suspects and/or arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]