Driver's Body Found After Truck Plummets Off Delaware Memorial Bridge

PENNSVILLE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Authorities have recovered the body of a truck driver who was presumed dead after a tractor-trailer cab crashed through the side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge early Friday and fell into the river below.

In a statement released Saturday afternoon, the Delaware River & Bay Authority said the man's body and the truck were successfully recovered from the river around 11:10 a.m. Crews had arrived on-site several hours earlier, but recovery efforts were delayed due to water and tide conditions.

Officials said the truck was traveling southbound into Delaware around 3:40 a.m. Friday, when it crossed three lanes of traffic, onto the concrete pad near the Delaware anchorage, and crashed into the concrete wall, officials said. The wall collapsed, and the vehicle careened into the Delaware River.

• RELATED: 1 Presumed Dead After Truck Crashes Through Bridge, Falls Into Delaware River

The Bobcat tractor was located around 9:30 a.m. Friday in 20 feet of water, nearly six hours after the crash.

Dive teams and U.S. Coast Guardsmen were among the personnel involved in the extensive search. With the truck 20 feet beneath the water's surface, engineering teams on Friday tried to use a barge and crane to recover the vehicle and its driver.

On Saturday, the Delaware State Police Marine dive unit and Holloway Terrace Fire Company assisted in the recovery operation. Officials said emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life to extricate the man's body from the cab. The remains were then taken to the Delaware Medical Examiner's Office.

The investigation into the accident, including the identification of the victim, the cause of the crash, the ownership of the truck cab, and other accident-related details, is ongoing.