One person is dead after an SUV plunged into the ice-cold waters of the Five Mile River in Connecticut in the early hours of Friday, authorities said.
At approximately midnight, the Darien Police Department received a report that a late-model Nissan Rogue traveling eastbound on Tokeneke Road had crossed into the westbound lane, left the roadway, struck a fence, and then plummeted into Five Mile River, where it meets the Long Island Sound.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found a “vehicle almost fully submerged in the near-freezing water,” Capt. Jeremiah P. Marron Jr. said in a news release.
One victim was located “floating face down in the outgoing current approximately 100 yards from the accident scene,” Marron said.
Two officers jumped in the water and rescued the victim, who was brought to a nearby dock to receive resuscitation efforts, as the Darien Fire Department and Darien EMS arrived at the scene.
As of Friday evening, the medical condition of that person was unknown.
Fire crew equipped with cold-water gear then went into the river and quickly recovered another victim from the submerged vehicle. That person was transported to an area hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Over “the next several hours,” multiple agencies assisted in the rescue effort. Marine vessels, air assets, and SCUBA divers were deployed, but according to Marron, there was no indication any other victims or vehicles were involved in the incident.
The two Darien police officers who entered the frigid waters were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for injuries and exposure. Their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening at this time, Marron said Friday morning.
The incident remains under active investigation.
