Oswego Mayor to prevent further Oswego river incidents after accident

On March 15th, 2026, Josh Barbour died in a car accident in the Oswego River. After Spring Break, students found it difficult to return to campus and nightlife without Barbour’s presence. He was a big part of Oswego.

 Barbour was known as “Uber Josh” and served as a friend of the community, especially for college students. For seven years, he dedicated his car, humor, consideration, and time to his side gig to getting people home safely and cheaply.  

On March 22, 2026, when many students returned from Spring Break, a vigil was hosted at the Oswego River by SUNY Oswego student Robbie Allen. He was described as a safe space for the community. 

“A lot of us cried; we were all talking about all the times he made us laugh, and all the memories we had with him,” Juliette Slack, a student at SUNY Oswego, said. 

 Barbour’s memory is one that will last in Oswego. “I don’t think Josh would want anyone to be sad. Everyone is taking his memories and sharing them and just laughing and sharing happy experiences rather than something that tragically happened,” Kristin Fischer, a student at SUNY Oswego, said.

 Mayor Robert Corradino says he is doing what he can to stop accidents like this from happening again. This is the second car to go into the Oswego River. Corradino says this is something very important to address, as it has been brought to his attention as a recent issue. His plans include putting up a safety preventative measure around the Oswego River, like large rocks or something else, to stop cars from going in.

Photo provided by Julianne Fike, and packages provided by Fike and Dylan Ford.