20-year-old Winooski man charged with second degree murder in fatal fall

By John Young, VTDigger.org

INOOSKI — A 20-year-old Milton man died Saturday night after falling from a Burlington railroad bridge during a physical altercation with another 20-year-old, reportedly over a woman.

Joshua Granger, 20, of Winooski, fled the bridge to report the incident to Winooski police almost immediately after Jared Streeter, 20, of Milton, fell, police said. Police say that Granger made some statements upon arriving at the station, but they will not be released until court documents are made public.

“From where he was when the fight took place to the time frame, I would say it would be the time it took to run from there to the police department,” said Detective Mike Beliveau.

Streeter fell approximately 50 feet after being struck by Granger. He landed on a pile of rocks beneath what’s known at the Blue Bridge, a railroad bridge that connects Winooski and Burlington, near the Intervale.

First responders declared Streeter dead upon their arrival.

Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo said, “They were having a long standing dispute over a woman, and this fight was actually a pre-arranged fight. They said, let’s meet at a certain location and duke it out. The agreement was that there’d be no weapons.”

Law enforcement did not disclose the identity of the woman in question.

In an arraignment Monday morning, Granger pleaded not guilty to second degree murder.

According to law enforcement, seven to 10 witnesses, most of whom were peers or friends of the men, reported the incident.

“There was nothing to suggest before that he planned to kind of just push him or throw him off the bridge,” Beliveau said. “It sounds like it was escalating and that it happened.”

Neither had been previously charged with assault.

An autopsy has not been completed. A toxicology report will be used to determine if either man had been drinking alcohol or taking drugs before the fight.

Granger was held without bail Sunday at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.

“One of the things that occurred to us as we discussed this was how senseless it all seemed,” del Pozo said. “This was just a fight between two young men over a woman. When you look at their social media and talk to their friends, it seemed like both of them had their whole lives ahead of them. Like so many people, they weren’t perfectly straight arrows. That’s fine, I mean, it’s life, but there’s no reason to solve your problems with a fight in such a dangerous location where the hazards are so clear.

“I’m sure if everybody could turn back the clock they would,” del Pozo said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of Streeter’s funeral.