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. On Tuesday, VBPD said this investigation has similarities to a missing person case. They have not reported the name of that missing person.
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.