3 dead after car plunges into Anacostia River beneath Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
Investigation launched after 3 people found dead in Anacostia River
Police now believe two elderly men and a young adult were the three people killed Thursday night after a car went into the Anacostia River. FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez reports near the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge where this sad scene unfolded.
WASHINGTON - Three people are dead after a vehicle plunged into the Anacostia River Thursday night in Southeast D.C. below the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
D.C. Police have not named the victims yet but tell FOX 5 that the two men killed are in their 40s, including the owner of the vehicle recovered. A woman also killed is believed to be in her 30s.
DC Fire and EMS / @dcfireems
Authorities say witnesses reported seeing the vehicle go into the river at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday night. However, there was apparently confusion as to which bridge the scene happened near.
On the dispatch recording site, "OpenMHZ," an initial dispatch call sent first responders to the 11th St. Bridge, which is about a mile away from where the scene was actually located.
FOX 5 listened through the dispatch calls. About seven minutes after the first dispatch call, authorities could be heard sharing that a witness is now identifying the scene as happening near the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
At around 10:42 p.m., investigators relay that vehicle tracks were found in the grass. Maybe 15 minutes after the initial dispatch call, you can hear authorities share that the complainant is a juvenile and described seeing lights still on in the water.
The search involved D.C. Fire & EMS fireboats, D.C. Police Harbor Divers, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Park Police’s Eagle helicopter.
The tracks in the grass helped lead first responders to the correct location.
At around 11:48 p.m., a little over an hour after the first dispatch call, D.C. Fire & EMS confirmed the submerged vehicle had been located with a man inside. Two other victims were located in the water overnight.
By early Friday morning, recovery crews were able to pull the vehicle, a black Dodge sedan, from the water. Police had difficulty removing one man from the vehicle.
Public Safety Advocate Dave Statter flagged the response delay online. In a statement to FOX 5, an Office of Unified Communications Spokesperson wrote:
On April 20, 2023, OUC received one 911 call reporting that a vehicle left the roadway and entered the Anacostia River. Based on information provided by the caller and information presented by location determining technology, we were unable to immediately pinpoint the exact location of this tragic incident.
This incident is still under investigation.