Car Drives Off Santa Cruz Wharf, 1 Dead: Fire Officials

SANTA CRUZ, CA — A car plunged off the Santa Cruz Wharf Sunday afternoon, prompting a rapid response from first responders and resulting in one person’s death, officials said.

At around 9:44 a.m. on Sunday, officials said they received a report that a car had driven off the Santa Cruz Wharf. The Santa Cruz Fire Department, Harbor Patrol, Coast Guard and Central Fire crews all responded.

“Units arrived on scene to find the missing section of railing here,” said Josh Coleman, Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief .

Witnesses told officials they saw a car drive into the water.

Lifeguards, searching in near-zero visibility, found the car submerged 30 feet down with the driver inside

Rescuers broke a window to pull out the unconscious victim, who was brought to shore but later died at the hospital, officials said.

A dog was also found in the water and is now safe with County Animal Control.

Authorities said they performed searches for possible additional victims but did not find any at this time.

An investigation is underway, and Coleman said video footage was inconclusive.

Only minor damage to the wharf’s railing was reported, and environmental impacts were limited, officials said.