VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Police said on Sunday they were planning to try and recover the vehicle that crashed off the 14th Street Fishing Pier at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
They arrived around 1 p.m. to attempt to recover the car. However, due to water conditions and concerns for divers’ safety, the recovery was postponed.
The driver drove the car down the pier and into the water early Saturday morning, according to police.
Virginia Beach Police said the call came in just before 7 a.m. They were working the scene with the Virginia Beach Fire Department. They arrived on the scene to find a completely submerged vehicle. After using sonar technology, they were able to determine that the car was on the ocean floor.
Due to issues with stabilizing the salvage barge, and concerns for safety, the VBPD and the contracted salvage company are creating a new plan to recover the car.
The condition of anyone inside the car remains unknown at this time.
Chopper 10 flew over the fishing pier and captured the police presence at the scene just after 9 a.m. Saturday. By that time, most fire-rescue crews had already left, but police were still at the scene. There was damage at the end of the pier where a wooden railing is missing, signaling where the car drove through it before descending into the water.
The video also shows a gate that had been knocked down. The sound of the gates breaking prompted two girls to take out their phones and start recording.
“We saw at first it was going really fast,” Kaylynn Crawford said. “We thought it was just going to go for it. But toward the end, the car started to slow down, and it kind of looked as if it almost teeter tottered at the end. Then, it all of a sudden just dropped down over the pier.”
A large emergency presence soon followed, including a Virginia Beach Police Marine Patrol.
Virginia Beach Public Information Officer Jude Brenya told 10 On Your Side what information they had so far.
“So far from what our marine patrol can gather is that the vehicle was at the bottom of the ocean,” Brenya said. “So, right now, what we’re doing is trying to assess the situation, trying to see what resources we need to try to recover the vehicle, and trying to see how many occupants were in the vehicle.”
Ocean Eddie’s Seafood Restaurant is on the pier. Employee Charlotte Murphy was met with the scene when she came in to work.
“I think it’s sad and it’s — I honestly couldn’t even tell you,” Murphy said. “As soon as I got down there I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ That is just the craziest thing I’ve heard in a long, long time. I can’t even describe it.”
This leaves many people, including resident Philip Fellow, with many questions — mainly why did this happen?
“But whoever it is, you know, I pray for them,” Fellow said. “I pray for their family and, you know, I hope they’re at peace.”
The pier was originally built in 1950 and is 650 feet long. The driver would have had to make it onto the boardwalk, drive through two different gates and down the 650 foot pier before the driving into the ocean.
Water temperatures are around the mid 40s, according to WAVY Meteorologist Ricky Matthews.
The pier is owned by the Sibony family, who also own Sunsations Beach Stores.
Currently, the Ocean Eddies Seafood Restaurant operates on the pier. The business posted on social media that police allowed them to open Saturday at 11 a.m.
The owner of the restaurant, Jeff Hague, said there was damage to the restaurant where the car ripped part of the wall off in front of the freezer. After watching the video of the incident, Hague said he noticed there may have been some hesitation with the driver, noting how the break lights went on and off before the car drove off the pier.
10 On Your Side is looking to get more information about what caused this incident, and how many were inside the car. Check back for updates.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
