Car That Drove Off Virginia Beach Pier Still ‘Submerged’ Days Later as Police Struggle to Retrieve Vehicle

Brian Brant
·2 min read

Police said over the weekend that it's unclear how many people were inside the car at the time of the incident

  • Authorities have been unable to recover a car that plunged off a Virginia Beach pier on Saturday due to "adverse water conditions"

  • It's unclear what caused the car to end up in the water or how many occupants were inside at the time

  • Members of the police department and the local fire department responded to find the car "completely submerged"

A car that drove off a Virginia pier on Saturday remains underwater due to issues authorities have encountered during the recovery mission.

The Virginia Beach Police Department said in a news release on Sunday that the Virginia Beach Emergency Communications and Citizen Services received calls just before 7 a.m. local time "reporting a vehicle had driven off the pier at the oceanfront on 14th Street in Virginia Beach."

Members of the police department and the local fire department responded to find the car "completely submerged."

"Dangerous water conditions, [including] poor visibility, prevented divers from deploying," police added. "This resulted in resorting to utilizing sonar to locate the vehicle which was determined to be on the ocean floor."

Related: Hawaii Tourists Following GPS Directions Rescued After Driving Car 'Straight into the Harbor'

The incident became a recovery operation, and when authorities attempted to recover the vehicle on Sunday around 1 p.m., they utilized a salvage barge and professional salvage divers from a contracted private company.

But due to "continued adverse water conditions," police said there were "issues maintaining the stability of the salvage barge, as well as continuing concerns for diver safety."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The recovery has since been postponed, police said in Sunday's statement, noting that it's unclear how many people were inside the car at the time of the incident. "VBPD and the contractor are reassessing and devising a plan for a safe and effective recovery operation," authorities said.

As of Monday, the car remained underwater, according to CBS affiliate WTKR.

Related: 5-Year-Old Girl Credited with Saving Mom and Baby Brother After Their Car Drives Off the Road

According to ABC affiliate WVEC, footage by an eyewitness showed the car driving on the pier before it landed in the ocean at the end of the pier. The video seemingly shows the driver repeatedly pressing the brakes before ending up in the water, the outlet reported.

Related: Good Samaritan Saves 5-Year-Old After Car Crashes Into Her House: 'Heroes Don't Always Wear Capes'

Kaylynn Crawford, the 16-year-old who filmed the incident, told The Virginian-Pilot that she was running on the boardwalk with a friend when she heard a crash. “Once they sped up, I was like, ‘Oh no,’” she told the paper.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Virginia Beach Police Department for comment.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.