VBPD: Pier car crash investigation ‘has many similarities’ to missing person case

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Three days later, police have still not been able to determine who, or if anyone, was in the vehicle that went off the 14th Street Pier in Virginia Beach.

However, Virginia Beach police said in an update on Tuesday morning they’ve been contacted by the family of a missing male, and that case “has many similarities to facts and circumstances” to the 14th Street incident.

“Though we have indicators these cases are related, at this time, we are unable to confirm this missing person is associated with the car that still has to be recovered,” VBPD wrote on social media Tuesday morning.

Police say a submersible provided by the City of Chesapeake hasn’t been able to determine if there was a license plate attached to the vehicle, and the conditions were “still not permissible” for a contracted dive team from Crofton Industries to perform recovery operations for the rest of the day on Tuesday.

Peggy Hines manages the gift shop on the pier and says she has seen several rescue and recovery efforts in her 20 years at the store. She’s not surprised that police divers and contracted recovery divers are taking their time.

“There are huge razor-sharp barnacles all up and down those pilings out there. If they got a diver next to it they could get damaged or caught up on the barnacles,” Hines said. “The next attempt we have heard is Thursday. That’s the next time that we’re going to have less wind because we’re supposed to have wind again (Wednesday), and it’s just too treacherous with the wind and the waves.”

Meanwhile people continue to leave stuffed animals near a message of support for whoever decided to go hurtling into the ocean.

“We need to come together as a community, and help each other, instead of being negative to each other,” Kristin Meier of Chesapeake said, as she added to the collection of bears, bunnies and even a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “Everybody’s different.”

Hines expressed sympathy not only for those close to whoever was in the vehicle, but for the two young women who witnessed it in real time and shot the viral video.

“I just feel so sorry for them. that is something that’s gonna stick with them

“Nobody wants to bring resolution to this more than we do,” said Sgt. Brian Ricardo with VBPD Special Operations on Monday afternoon. “We are as frustrated as everyone else that we can’t get in the water, and we can’t do something to get this moving forward.”

Police know where the vehicle is, about 17-feet below the pier at high tide, but conditions have been treacherous for divers due to strong current and very low visibility. The submersible though was able to provide sonar images that showed the car is on its roof and is unstable.’

“The ongoing recovery efforts remain focused on reuniting any occupant(s) with their loved ones and maintaining the integrity of the investigation,” VBPD said earlier Tuesday.

There’s still no word on why exactly the crash happened, but video from around 7 a.m. Saturday showed the vehicle going off the end of 650-foot pier after breaking through gates. Water temperatures were in the mid 40s at the time.