Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Man Shot In Saratoga Springs

NEW YORK — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Nov. 7 released police body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of a 48-year-old Columbia County man who died following an encounter with members of the New York State Police in Saratoga Springs.

On the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2024, troopers responding to a 911 call followed James Dellea as he drove to and parked in a parking lot on State Route 9. The troopers approached Dellea while he sat in his car, holding a long gun. According to the statement released by the attorney general’s office, during the encounter one of the troopers, who was off duty at the time, fired his weapon, striking Dellea, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers recovered one long gun.

According to State Police reports released in September, troopers first located Dellea in the parking lot of the Albany-Saratoga Speedway on State Route 9 in the Town of Malta. When Troopers attempted to interview Dellea, he failed to follow lawful commands to exit his vehicle and fled the scene. A low-speed 3-1/2-mile vehicle pursuit was initiated, and Dellea subsequently stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of Bethel Saratoga, 3246 State Route 9/ South Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Additionally, the release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime, according to the attorney general’s office. 

Warning: The video, which may be viewed at https://ag.ny.gov/osi/footage/james-dellea contains content that viewers may find disturbing.