Body found in vehicle recovered in Virginia Beach, police say

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Almost a week after a vehicle went off the edge of the 14th Street Fishing Pier at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, crews were finally able to remove it from the water Friday morning.

Police said one body was found in the vehicle, and the Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the person’s identity. VBPD said this investigation has similarities to a missing person case. They have not reported the name of that missing person, and WAVY confirmed with VBPD Monday that they likely won’t.

People gathered for a vigil Friday evening, sharing mixed emotions about what has happened. On the one hand, there was a sense of relief to have recovered the vehicle, on the other, their hearts hurt for the victim’s family.

“At least they get to put closure,” said Samuel Schatz, a retired longshoreman who has been keenly watching the recovery effort. “And hopefully, the family can move on, and the beach, and the locals and the people can move on.”

Using sonar, those involved in the effort to retrieve the vehicle — a red Nissan Kicks SUV which did not have license plates, according to police — found that it had drifted northwest of the pier. A diver with Crofton Industries, with only about a foot of visibility, was able to physically find the vehicle to hook it up to equipment and hoist it to the surface. The process took just under an hour.

The vehicle was covered with a tarp after being pulled from the water. The barge it was placed on was taken out to calmer waters to begin forensic analysis, police said.

“They’re taking the barge out … further east into the Atlantic [Ocean] where the water’s a little bit calmer,” said Jody Saunders with Virginia Beach Police. “They’ve got our forensic specialists on that barge right now and they’re going to extract the body from the vehicle and take it to the medical examiner to identify it.”

Virginia Beach Police said the weather forecast was finally favorable for a recovery attempt Friday morning, and images showed the heavy equipment in position in the water at the edge of the pier. WAVY News 10’s crew witnessed the successful recovery, with crews successfully pulling the car from the water around 9:20 a.m.

Our photographer saw at least one diver in the water assisting with the recovery, as onlookers gathered along the boardwalk to watch their efforts. 

Super Doppler 10 meteorologists said the crews had a narrow window to get this job done Friday. Winds, which have hampered the recovery effort since the beginning, will pick up in the afternoon. A small craft advisory was scheduled to go up at 4 p.m. 

As WAVY has reported, a car drove off the pier around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27. The driver went through a metal gate and drove the full length of the pier before driving off the edge.

Early in the investigation, the Chesapeake Fire Department’s Station 4 ROV, or remotely-operated vehicle, was called in to help assess the situation underwater. The ROV was not able to get clear pictures or any identifying tags because of the low visibility, but did provide some useful information, including that the vehicle was upside-down, rocking with the current.

Crews Friday were relieved to complete a job that had been about seven days in the making.

“It’s a heartbreak that anybody felt like this was a solution for them,” Saunders said, “but also, there’s a sense of relief that we can finally reunite this loved one with their family.”

It’s a solution that some are trying to understand now, but may only be known to the victim.

“This person must have had a lot on [their] mind,” Schatz said, “and nobody can relate to it because, thank the Lord, we’re not there.”

Said Saunders: “I think our message is just, put your arms around your loved ones right now, and keep your people close. Care for one another.”