Early on Saturday, January 27th, someone drove a car off of the Virginia Beach 14th Street Pier. Details surrounding the motive of the driver in question and whether or not they were alone remain hazy. Crews are still working to retrieve the car after at least one failed attempt was called off due to dangerous seas.
Video captured by a bystander near the pier shows the vehicle accelerate, brake, and repeat that process before ultimately driving off of the pier. Authorities say that they received several calls just before 7 a.m. and sent both the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) and Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD). When they arrived they found the car fully submerged under water.
Evidently, divers couldn’t immediately go into the water due to dangerous water conditions and poor visibility. Authorities did use sonar to locate the vehicle but could do little else safely. Reports suggest that the water there is about 15 feet deep. Rescuers didn’t find a person during the initial search.
Now, days later, there are still a great many questions about what happened and why. It’s clear that the driver went through multiple barricades and fences to get to the pier. It’s unclear whether or not they were alone in the car when they went over. According to the Virginian-Pilot, authorities say that they expect to find at least the driver deceased in the car when they finally retrieve it.
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A statement from local authorities explained why an initial attempt at recovering the car failed. ” On January 28, 2024, around 1:00 P.M., an attempt to recover the vehicle was made utilizing a salvage barge and professional salvage divers from a contracted private company. Due to continued adverse water conditions, there were issues maintaining the stability of the salvage barge, as well as continuing concerns for diver safety.”
Teams hope to recover the car as soon as possible.
Warning: The following footage may be distressing to some viewers