new haven

Police Tentatively ID Body Found in Car in River in New Haven

Police have released information about the body that was found inside of a vehicle that crashed and landed in a river in New Haven on Sunday morning.

Officers said a 2010 Nissan Altima crashed through a fence at a vacant lot on Grand Avenue, drove off the road and into the Mill River shortly before 8:30 a.m.

Firefighters went into the river in an attempt to rescue anyone inside the vehicle, but attempts to free the person inside were unsuccessful. Police said  the driver was found dead inside.

A dive team worked to remove the vehicle, that was in about ten feet of water, but visibility was very limited for them, officers said.

“The water conditions for visibility are horrible at best. Divers are having a hard time seeing their hand extended in front of themselves,” said New Haven Police Officer David Hartman.

A 75-ton rotator truck was called in to recover the vehicle and successfully picked it up after it was rigged for extraction by police divers. The body inside was removed from the vehicle and was taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.

Police said the body has been tentatively identified as a 28-year-old man from Madison. His name has not been released.

Representatives from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were at the scene to monitor environmental procedures in order to minimize any impact the vehicle could have on the waterway, officials said.

Firefighters were checked out after being in the cold water, but officials said there were no injuries reported.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but police said at this point, there is no evidence to suggest this was anything other than a single car crash.

Officers are hoping a camera in the area may have caught the moments that led up to the crash. 

“We do have potentially camera views, a lot of them. Maybe up to a dozen cameras in the area and we’re hoping some video from those surveillance cameras will provide us some of the answers we need,” Officer Hartman said.

Contact Us