CARBONDALE – On March 10, 2026, at 8:21 p.m., City of Carbondale Police Officers responded to the Cedar Lake Boat Ramp in reference to a report of a traffic crash. Officers learned Matthew H. Burrows (driver), 48 years old, of Ankeny, IA., crashed into another vehicle on the boat ramp. Burrows then attempted to drive away and continued down the boat ramp and into the lake. A passenger in the vehicle that Burrows struck entered the water and pulled Burrows to safety. Burrows was taken to the emergency room where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. Burrows was arrested for Driving Under the Influence, Reckless Driving, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident and Operation of a Motor Vehicle with No Insurance. Burrows was also found to have multiple valid arrest warrants from Iowa. Burrows was later incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail.
Initial efforts to locate and recover the submerged vehicle were unsuccessful. Recovery efforts continued and the vehicle was able to be recovered on the morning March 12, 2026. Nothing has been learned to suggest there were any other occupants in the vehicle with Burrows at the time of the crash and witnesses stated Burrows was the lone occupant. The Carbondale Fire Department, Cedar Lake staff, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department assisted with the investigation and recovery of Burrow’s Vehicle. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the police department at the numbers listed below. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the City of Carbondale Police Department at (618) 549-2121. You may also call the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (618) 549-COPS (2677) or the Murphysboro/Jackson County anonymous tip line at (618) 687-COPS (2677). Anonymous tips may also be made by selecting the “Crime Stoppers” tab on this website’s main page. Please help yourself and your county, its communities, and the university campus by using these numbers if you witness or have any information about a crime. Cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest are also made anonymously. Remember, crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does! For more information about Crime Stoppers, please follow the QR Code.
The mission of the Carbondale Police Department is to work in partnership with our community to preserve life, protect human rights, protect property and improve quality of life by providing police service to all in a fair, sensitive, and professional manner.