The WNY Listening Post

Western New York’s Scanner-Fed Tabloid

Forestville · Walnut Street · Armed Standoff

A Despondent, Armed Man Barricades in a Forestville Apartment as Units Ring the Block

Deputies staged a perimeter around 12 Walnut Street after a suicide threat from a man with access to firearms, holding position while the caller was walked out.

Beginning about 12:10 PM, Chautauqua County law enforcement worked a barricaded-subject call at 12 Walnut Street, Apartment F, in Forestville, where a despondent male had made a suicide threat and was reported to have access to firearms.

Dispatch advised the caller off the scene and had responding units stage rather than approach, setting up a perimeter around the apartment as the situation held. The call was still open as of the window's close.

Top StoriesThe best of the wires — county-wide

Olcott · First Street · Structure Fire

ONGOING

Lightning Sets a Christian Camp Building Ablaze Near Olcott

A morning lightning strike sparked a structure fire at the White House Christian Camp on First Street, drawing mutual-aid crews as storms rolled through Niagara County.

About 7:44 AM, Niagara County Fire dispatched a structure-fire response to the White House Christian Camp at 413 First Street, in the Olcott area, after a lightning strike touched off the blaze during the morning's storms.

Mutual-aid coordination was active as crews worked the scene. The fire came amid a run of storm damage across the county — trees and wires down at Greenwood and Alps Road, on West Bacon Road and on Holberton Road.

Chautauqua County · Route 430 · MVA

RESOLVED

Car Meets Tractor-Trailer on Route 430, and Fire Police Take the Road

A car-versus-tractor-trailer crash near Armenian Road drew multiple units and fire-police traffic control at midday.

Late in the morning, about 11:59 AM, Chautauqua County fire and law enforcement responded to a car-versus-tractor-trailer collision on Route 430, near Armenian Road, with multiple units on scene.

Fire police handled traffic control while crews cleared the scene through the noon hour. The extent of injuries was not stated on the air.

Cheektowaga · Route 33 · Gun Scare

RESOLVED

A Gun Pointed From One Car to Another on Route 33

A single caller reported an armed man aiming a gun at a vehicle window near Harlem Road, sending Cheektowaga officers hunting a black sedan and a gray vehicle.

About 12:15 PM, Cheektowaga police responded to a report of an armed male pointing a gun at a vehicle window on Route 33 westbound near Harlem Road. The caller described a black sedan and a gray vehicle involved.

The report came from a single caller, and officers checking the area turned up no further sightings. It had the hallmarks of a road-rage flare-up on a busy suburban expressway.

West Seneca · Thorndale · Welfare Check

ONGOING

Suicidal Statements Send West Seneca Officers to a Niece's Thorndale Home

A welfare check relayed from Cheektowaga sent police to look in on a woman said to have made suicidal statements while staying at a relative's address.

At 1:11 PM, a welfare check came into West Seneca through Cheektowaga PD for a woman dispatch identified as Judith McFarland, believed to be at her niece's home on Thorndale. "Apparently she's made suicidal statements. They would just like you to check on her," the dispatcher told the responding car.

Dispatch worked to pin the exact house — the call listed the niece's address and a nearby number — and sent an officer to make contact.

Cheektowaga · Melody · Foot Chase

RESOLVED

A Warrant-Wanted Woman Bolts Into the Woods, Then Turns Up at the Clubhouse

A woman with multiple warrants ran from a Melody-area home into the trees, and the chase ended with her detained at a golf-course clubhouse.

About 11:52 AM, Cheektowaga police reported a woman fleeing a home in the Melody area near the Sky Harbor trailer park, running westbound into the woods. Dispatch flagged one of the parties as carrying multiple warrants, with extensive prior contact.

Officers tracked her onto an adjacent golf course, where she was located and detained at the clubhouse. The investigation continued from there.


Overheard: The WiresCops, cabbies, custodians, dispatchers — off-script

I-485 · Phantom Fire

The Brush Fire That Was Just a Guy With a Weed Whacker

At 9:34 AM, Buffalo Thruway dispatch asked a patrol to check I-485 westbound for a possible brush fire. Minutes later came the anticlimax: no flames, just Westfield Maintenance trimming under the bridge. "They're cutting the grass using a weed whacker," the trooper reported. "So there's no smoke, it just pops up so passing traffic can't see." Case closed on the great grass-dust blaze of Tuesday morning.

Chautauqua Lake · Water Rescue

RESOLVED

Boater Saved From the Lake; the Dog Held the Boat

About 9:21 AM, crews worked a boater in distress off the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel on Dunham Avenue. The man was pulled from the water safely — but his dog stayed aboard the stranded boat, keeping a lonely watch until the vessel could be brought in. A successful rescue, if you don't count the first mate.

West Valley · Recliner Rescue

RESOLVED

The Power Went Out, and the Recliner Wouldn't Let Go

At 8:15 AM, West Valley crews were toned out to 9503 Route 240 for "a female unable to get out of her power recliner due to the power outage." With the storm knocking out electricity, the motorized chair had reclined its last, and it took a service call to spring her free.

Walden Galleria · Ride Dispute

The Uber That Wouldn't Let You Out

About 1:48 PM, Cheektowaga officers rolled toward the Macy's at Walden Galleria for a dispute between an Uber driver and his customer — the driver, dispatch relayed, was reportedly preventing the passenger from getting out of the car. A five-star standoff in the parking lot.

Route 98 · Deer Detail

RESOLVED

Two Deer, One Highway, and a Call to the DOT

At 7:48 AM, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff logged two deer struck on Route 98 south of Morgan Hollow Road and passed the carcass cleanup up the chain to the DOT — the morning's quietest, saddest traffic detail.


Regional BlotterThe rest of the record, by region

Northtowns

Amherst · Smith Road

Welfare Check on Smith Road Turns to Echo Call as Elderly Man Found in Cardiac Arrest

At 1:16 PM, Amherst police already on scene at 41 Smith Road, near the Erie County Fire Control boundary, reported an elderly man in cardiac arrest, prompting Amherst Fire Dispatch to send an echo-priority EMS response for an 81-year-old male. What began as a welfare check was upgraded once crews got inside and “found an 81-year-old male unresponsive and not breathing”.

Buffalo Metro

Lancaster · Genesee Street

Boom Truck Snaps Five Utility Poles, Shuts Down Genesee Street in Lancaster

Just after 11:18 AM, Lancaster police began fielding multiple calls reporting that a boom truck had struck power lines at 6125 Genesee Street, taking down roughly five utility poles and their lines. Dispatch confirmed “the utility poles are down, completely blocking traffic across Genesee Street”, and the road remained shut for hours while crews worked the scene.

Niagara County

Niagara County · Storm Damage

Overnight Storm Leaves Trees, Wires Down Across Niagara County Roads

Between 7:44 AM and 8:00 AM, Niagara County Fire and EMS dispatch relayed a string of calls for downed trees and wires across several roads in the county in the wake of overnight storms. No injuries were reported on the air during the window monitored.

Other Calls of Note

Northtowns
[7:25 AM]Amherst · Walcott At 7:25 AM, Amherst Fire Dispatch sent crews to a two-car accident with one driver reported in the area of 9415 Walcott.
[7:54 AM]Amherst · Commercial Alarm At 7:54 AM, Amherst police checked a rear-door alarm at EBC Payroll, 21 John James Audubon Parkway[*]; no findings were reported over the air.
[7:59 AM]Amherst · Medical Call At 7:59 AM, Amherst Fire Dispatch relayed a report of a woman under 50 suffering severe chest pain and trouble breathing, with fire units responding alongside EMS; no address or further details were broadcast during the window monitored.
[9:20 AM]Bowmanville · Fire Alarm At 9:20 AM, Amherst Fire Dispatch sent an engine to the Garden Place Hotel in Bowmanville for a fire alarm activation; no further details were broadcast.
[1:43 PM]Getzville · Fire Alarm At 1:43 PM, Amherst Fire Dispatch sent a Getzville engine to 135 Arcadian Drive for a garage smoke detector activation; crews were on scene by 1:49 PM.
[2:15 PM]East Amherst · Transit Road An elderly man in the parking lot near the main entrance of Transit Plains Senior Apartments at 8040 Transit Road[*] [heard: Roll Road] asked Amherst Fire for help with his wheelchair, prompting a cold-response assist call.
[1:54 PM]University at Buffalo · North Campus UB Campus Police responded to a first-aid call in the basement outside Room 2121 for a college-age woman who had passed out but was conscious and alert by the time officers arrived, and dispatch confirmed the responding ambulance could be canceled.
[7:01 AM]Town of Tonawanda · Park AMR South dispatched Medic 294 to a park in the Town of Tonawanda for a man down, described as wearing a brown jacket and white shirt with his life status listed as questionable, and later marked the call code 4 before releasing the unit back to Cheektowaga.
Buffalo Metro
[8:24 AM]Buffalo · East Ferry Street At 8:24 AM, AMR South EMS was sent on a hot response to 693 East Ferry Street — the C-District police station — for an unidentified man found down in the lobby, with his condition relayed on the radio as questionable.
[9:02 AM]Lackawanna · McKinley Parkway At 9:02 AM, Lackawanna police were sent to McKinley Parkway and Storrs Avenue, in the 200 block of McKinley near South Buffalo, after an owner reported he had located his own recovered vehicle in the area; the call was reassigned to a second unit after the first didn't respond to the radio check.
[1:27 PM]Lackawanna · Walnut Street At 1:27 PM, AMR South EMS was sent hot to 81 Walnut Street in Lackawanna for a man reported diabetic and unresponsive but breathing.
[7:05 AM]Cheektowaga · AHEPA Senior Housing At 7:05 AM, Cheektowaga fire units including Southline 9-1 and Salfa 9-9 were sent to a medical alarm activation at 100 AHEPA senior housing; an ambulance was requested at 7:12 AM but was canceled minutes later after crews reported they could return to service.
[7:50 AM]Lancaster · Cube Van At 7:50 AM, a Lancaster Fire dispatcher relayed that a cube van being watched for had rolled through an intersection and up onto the curb in front of a Sunoco station before driving off northbound toward Como, with no injuries or further detail broadcast.
[8:02 AM]Lancaster · Walden Avenue At 8:02 AM, a Lancaster Fire dispatcher flagged patrol to Walden Avenue and Branson, where an Amazon delivery truck had spilled its load into the intersection; the load was cleared to the roadside and the truck left waiting for a second vehicle before patrol cleared the scene.
[8:15 AM]Lancaster · Quail Run At 8:15 AM, Lancaster Fire units were sent to 25 Quail Run for an 82-year-old woman with a cardiac history, conscious and alert, reporting chest pain; dispatch identified the patient on the radio as Coraline Kister and an LVAC paramedic crew was assigned.
[8:18 AM]Cheektowaga · Thruway Exit 52 At 8:18 AM, Thruway dispatch relayed a report-only crash on I-90 just before Exit 52 (Walden Avenue), with both vehicles — a white Chevrolet Silverado and a red Toyota Corolla — waiting in the nearby Target parking lot for a trooper.
[9:48 AM]Cheektowaga · Vera Avenue At 9:48 AM, Cheektowaga officers backed up crisis services on Vera Avenue for a mental-health evaluation at 23 Vera, where a subject was reported being aggressive with family inside a home dispatch described as having deplorable conditions, including holes in the second-floor flooring; two additional units were sent to cover.
[10:29 AM]Cheektowaga · French Road Just before 10:30 AM, Cheektowaga police were sent to a storage facility at 1460 French Road after dispatch reported a woman blocking the entrance and refusing to let anyone in or out following the auction of her storage unit; dispatch added she had broken a lock at another location during an earlier call and had an extensive mental health history.
[10:30 AM]Cheektowaga · Domestic Dispute Shortly after, a Cheektowaga officer reported that a dispute in which a woman had taken a man's car keys was resolved once he got them back; he wanted no further action beyond a report for harassment.
[10:45 AM]Lancaster · Hidden Trail At 10:45 AM, Lancaster fire dispatch sent Twin District EMS to 23 Hidden Trail for a bariatric-sized man who had fallen in his driveway and reinjured a pre-existing back injury; a Lancaster Volunteer Ambulance Corps paramedic crew and Twin District units were on scene within about ten minutes.
[11:26 AM]Cheektowaga · South Prince Drive At 11:26 AM, Cheektowaga fire dispatch sent Southline EMS to 10 South Prince Drive for a 52-year-old man reported unresponsive but breathing; two additional Southline units were added as crews arrived on scene.
[1:04 PM]Cheektowaga · Walden Galleria Just after 1 PM, Cheektowaga police were called to the Children's Place store at the Walden Galleria for two women accused of shoplifting; the pair were last seen heading toward the mall's food court.
[1:18 PM]Cheektowaga · Pine Ridge Road At 1:18 PM, a Cheektowaga officer reported a larceny from a vehicle on Pine Ridge Road and said he would review nearby security footage.
[12:41 PM]Lancaster · Bowen Road Just after 12:41 PM, Lancaster police were on scene for a road obstruction on Bowen Road; by 12:43 PM, dispatch confirmed the water authority already had one representative on-site with a second crew en route.
Southtowns
[1:02 PM]West Seneca · Southwestern Boulevard West Seneca police sent a unit to investigate a reported copper theft at the AT&T equipment tower at 1600 Southwestern Boulevard; no further details were broadcast.
[7:28 AM]Hamburg · Buffalo Street Hamburg dispatchers sent a paramedic response to Room 208 on Buffalo Street for a 72-year-old woman with trouble breathing; a town unit was on location within a few minutes and no further details were broadcast.
[9:51 AM]East Aurora · Stolle Road A general medical alarm at 1220 Stolle Road brought East Aurora EMS and an AMR paramedic unit from Springbrook; crews were on scene within minutes with no further details broadcast.
[10:23 AM]East Aurora · Phillips Road An 89-year-old woman with a urinary tract infection and pneumonia was transported to Buffalo General from 8715 Phillips Road, with dispatch noting the responding Holland unit's travel time from Colden as it worked the call.
[10:43 AM]Hamburg · Walden Drive Hamburg medics responded to 5707 Walden Drive for a 90-year-old woman with facial drooping and possible stroke symptoms; a Mercy Flight helicopter was also toned to the scene as units arrived.
[11:15 AM]East Aurora · South Shore Drive A 91-year-old woman was found unresponsive with an apparent head injury at 27 South Shore Drive after falling sometime overnight, prompting an AMR paramedic response from East Aurora.
[11:49 AM]Hamburg · Willowdale Avenue A 1-year-old boy in reported respiratory distress and non-alert drew a paramedic response to 4095 Willowdale Avenue, between Sumner and Fernland; no further updates were broadcast.
[12:06 PM]Hamburg · Autumnview Manor Hamburg fire and EMS crews were sent to Autumnview Manor for a 75-year-old man suffering abdominal pain.
[7:07 AM]West Seneca · Union Road West Seneca police cleared a motor vehicle collision on Union Road that had briefly blocked the roadway, with units confirming the roadway and cars clear before returning to patrol.
[8:56 AM]West Seneca · Chippewa Court West Seneca's Radio 29 was sent to 2970 Chippewa Court for a crash with possible injuries.
[12:34 PM]West Seneca · Workplace Altercation West Seneca police units 22 and 27 were sent to a local business after dispatch relayed that “two employees, one struck the other in the face”, with a man identified on the radio only by the first name Garrett having already left before officers arrived.
Niagara County
[8:49 AM]Niagara County · Lockport Road Niagara County fire crews were dispatched to a fire alarm activation at the Amazon facility on Lockport Road.
[8:51 AM]Niagara County · Eagle Drive Niagara County fire crews responded to an alarm activation at the Greeniversity Apartments on Eagle Drive.
[2:10 PM]Lockport · Fire Alarms At 2:10 PM, Niagara County fire dispatch sent units to a Lockport high school building after two general fire alarms activated back to back; no smoke or fire conditions were reported on the air.
GLOW Counties
[7:47 AM]Warsaw · Wing Street At 7:47 AM, Wyoming County Fire dispatch sent an ambulance to Wing Street in Warsaw for a young man who had fainted; no further details were broadcast.
[9:58 AM]Wyoming County · Medical Alarm At 9:58 AM, Wyoming County Fire dispatch sent a unit to check on a 102-year-old woman after her medical alert alarm sounded and dispatchers were unable to reach her by voice; no further updates were broadcast.
[10:30 AM]Wyoming County · Liberty Street At 10:30 AM, Wyoming County Fire dispatch sent an ambulance to Liberty Street for a 78-year-old woman with hypertension, who was transported to Mercy; no further details were broadcast.
[11:47 AM]Batavia · Medical At 11:47 AM, Genesee County fire dispatch sent an ambulance near Batavia for a semi-conscious person with a possible head injury; no further details were broadcast.
[8:08 AM]Genesee County · Fire Dispatch Between 8:08 AM and 8:42 AM, Genesee County fire dispatch sent units to several road locations around the county; the nature of the call was not stated clearly on the air.
Chautauqua & Cattaraugus
[7:24 AM]Brockton · Route 5 At 7:24 AM, Chautauqua County fire dispatch sent Brockton crews to an unknown-type fire on the shoulder of Route 5 between Wilson Boulevard and Caster Lane; no further details on the fire's cause or extent were broadcast.
[7:58 AM]New Albion · Leon Road At 7:58 AM, Cattaraugus County dispatch sent an ambulance to Leon Road in New Albion for an 81-year-old woman with difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and a cardiac history who was reported feeling weak; the responding unit radioed back within the minute that the call was unfounded after finding nothing at the address.
[8:09 AM]Olean Town · Rock Hill Road At 8:09 AM, Cattaraugus County fire dispatch sent an ALS response to 37601 Rock Hill Road in the Town of Olean, between Route 98 and Brighton Hill Road, for a 90-year-old woman who had fallen, struck her head, and was reported semi-responsive; dispatch separately paged for an additional EMT after the responding ambulance crew came up short-staffed.
[8:58 AM]Olean · Front Street At 8:58 AM, Olean police were dispatched to a car-versus-e-bike collision at the Front Street overpass, where the e-bike rider — described as a Black man in a brown coat — left the scene, telling onlookers “he had somewhere else to be”; the driver he struck wanted to speak with an officer. Units tracked the rider heading down Union Street toward the police station, but no further resolution was broadcast during the window monitored.
Elsewhere in WNY
[7:17 AM]NYS Thruway · Milepost 385 A dark grey Buick hatchback was reported driving erratically westbound near milepost 385, tailgating other vehicles, cutting them off and traveling at a high rate of speed.
[7:53 AM]NYS Thruway · Milepost 388 A gray Volkswagen Tiguan was reported driving erratically eastbound near milepost 388 — tailgating, riding the shoulder and brake-checking other drivers — and its plate returned to a matching gray Tiguan before the trooper who spotted it radioed he'd be out of position for the stop.
[10:41 AM]NYS Thruway · Exit 51 A tractor-trailer struck a gray Honda CR-V on the westbound D ramp at Exit 51 and left the scene without stopping, in a hit-and-run relayed to Thruway dispatch as a report only.
[10:58 AM]NYS Thruway · Mile Marker 387 At 10:58 AM, Thruway dispatch relayed a report of a domestic dispute along the westbound lanes near mile marker 387, with a Honda CR-V pulled onto the left shoulder and a Chevy pickup towing a trailer on the right shoulder; a trooper was sent to check on the occupants, and no further details were broadcast.
[11:45 AM]NYS Thruway · Exit 17 South At 11:45 AM, a caller flagged a Volvo registered to Spark Express LLC for erratic, high-speed driving near Exit 17 southbound, reporting it was passing other traffic aggressively; Thruway dispatch logged a possible partial plate and asked a unit still in the area to follow, with no further outcome broadcast.
[1:38 PM]Erie County · Dorrance Just after 1:38 PM, AMR South dispatch sent an ambulance crew to 300 Dorrance for a 63-year-old man reported “ill, not alert”; the crew was assigned as the closest available unit, and no further details on his condition were broadcast.

Editor’s Note

A medically busy, storm-touched Tuesday saw the outer counties supply the real drama — an armed, despondent man barricaded in a Forestville apartment, a lightning-sparked fire at an Olcott-area Christian camp, and a car-versus-tractor-trailer crash that pulled a full fire-police response onto Route 430. Closer in, Cheektowaga and the Southtowns carried the day's heaviest routine call volume, from a Route 33 gun scare to a woods chase that ended at a golf clubhouse. Morning storms left trees, wires and utility poles down across Niagara and Lancaster, and an unbroken string of elderly medical runs filled the wires from Grand Island to Cattaraugus.

Daily Gem

They're cutting the grass using a weed whacker. So there's no smoke, it just pops up so passing traffic can't see”

— Thruway Ch4, 9:39 AM

By the Numbers

Segments
5,759
Active systems
30
Busiest hour
12:00 PM–1:00 PM (Cheektowaga PD Route 33 and Melody-area calls)
Regional Breaking
0
Updates
0
By Agency (top 5)
BucketSegs
Fire / EMS3050
Police2100
Rail / maritime260
Airport / aviation200
Other149
By Area (top 5)
BucketSegs
Outer counties1900
Cheektowaga / Lancaster / Depew1400
Other Erie County1050
Williamsville & Amherst620
Niagara County480

By-agency and by-area counts are proportional estimates from channel-family activity; conventional trunks are mapped by their home region.

[*] = a name the scanner audio left uncertain and could not be confirmed against an official source; treat as unverified. Routine street-name fixes against official municipal lists are applied silently.
The WNY Listening Post · Wednesday, September 2, 2026 · P.M. Edition · Vol. I, No. 116
Compiled from public radio scanner traffic via the WNY Listening Post automated pipeline. Transcriptions are AI-generated and may contain errors; verify names and details before action.
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