VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It's been more than two days since a driver drove off the end of a fishing pier at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront and into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning. On Monday, the vehicle and presumably the driver remained in the water.
The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier, a tourist destination, is located between 14th and 15th streets on the boardwalk.
On Sunday, a crew from Crofton Diving & Salvage hired by Virginia Beach Police attempted to retrieve the vehicle from the ocean — which local fishermen estimated to be about 15 feet deep — but conditions were not favorable.
Police said they are going to look at other solutions to recover the car.
Recovery will become essential to understanding what led to this incident.
As of Monday morning, police have not confirmed the type of car, nor any potential occupants at the time it hit the water.
Virginia Beach police officer Jude Brenya spoke with WTKR on Sunday.
"We do know where the vehicle is at," said Brenya. "It's still stationary in the last location that we checked, so we are going to keep monitoring it. We are going to go back [to] the planning board and try to see when we can come back out."
As the recovery efforts continue, the community remains in shock following the incident. Employees at Oceanfront businesses were stunned Saturday morning when they came to work to hear what had happened.
"Never heard of anything like this in all my seven years," said Charlotte Murphy, who works at Ocean Eddie's on the boardwalk. "The craziest thing that I've heard, for sure."
If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, we encourage you to use the following resources.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can call or text 988 if you’re in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress. It’s a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential support. They are available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can learn more at 988lifeline.org.
Findtreatment.gov
Findtreatment.gov is a confidential and anonymous resource for locating treatment facilities for mental and substance use disorders in the United States and its territories. Visit https://findtreatment.gov/locator to locate treatment options near you.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-supported service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition. You can text “HelpLine” to 62640 or call 800-950-6264. Learn more about additional resources at www.nami.org/help.
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective
The Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a nationwide network of mental health professionals who offer virtual and in-office sessions at a steeply reduced rate to people who qualify. You can learn more at www.openpathcollective.org.
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