A Niagara Regional Police officer is dead after his motorcycle collided with another vehicle in Welland Friday morning.

Const. Joe Mellen, 33, was off-duty and driving home from an overnight shift when the crash happened around 5 a.m. Police said his Suzuki motorcycle collided with a Pontiac Sunfire on Highway 406 at Woodlawn Road.

“It appears the vehicles came in contact in a head-on type of collision,” Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said. “The rider of the motorcycle was ejected from the vehicle, struck the car and sustained fatal injuries.”

Speaking to reporters at a news conference Friday, Niagara Regional Police Chief Jeff McGuire described Mellen, a nine-year veteran of the force, as a dedicated officer.

“He was a good cop, a good hard-working civil servant serving the citizens of the Niagara Region and he was also a fun guy to be around,” McGuire said. “He was one of those guys who will be sorely missed, who has served his community well. The impact on our members will be great.”

McGuire said police had spoken with Mellen’s family to give them the news, including his two young children.

“Obviously as you can expect his family is even more devastated than his coworkers would be,” McGuire said. “It’s a very sad time for them. It’s going to be a big loss.”

Following the collision, the driver of the Pontiac – a 24-year-old Welland woman – was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

The OPP is now investigating the crash. However Niagara Regional police are assisting with the investigation and charges are pending, Schmidt said.

“It’s very tragic right now,” Schmidt said. “Any fatal collision is very sombre and obviously because of it being an off-duty officer, it hits home.”

While there was construction going on at the road at the time of the collision, Schmidt said it was not likely a factor. It’s not yet known if alcohol was a factor either.

In a news release, police said Mellen was travelling south while the Sunfire was travelling north. It’s not yet clear which lane the vehicles were in when they collided, police said.

Police are looking to speak with any possible witnesses who may have been in the area at the time.

Highway 406 was closed between Woodlawn Road and East Main Street in Welland as police investigated the fatal collision. The highway reopened around 10:30 a.m.

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