VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As of Thursday night, a car that drove off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier Saturday morning is still in the water.
Dive crews from Portsmouth-based Crofton Industries have been working with the Virginia Beach Police Department to retrieve the car.
The police department shared a video earlier in the week, showing a license plate and some tires. It's just a glimpse of what can be seen with an underwater camera.
News
Chesapeake Fire Department uses underwater drone to help VB car recovery efforts
But it's left a lot of people wandering—what's taking so long to get the car out.
Virginia Beach police were not able to provide a spokesperson Thursday night for an on-camera interview, but News 3's Jay Greene spoke with Jude Brenya, a spokesperson for the police department, over the phone.
Brenya told Greene the police department contracted Crofton Industries because they have the most experience with these types of situations, having also responded to a vehicle that crashed off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 2017.
In a press conference earlier, Sergeant Brian Ricardo, with the department's special operations bureau, told reporters the water conditions, even for an experienced dive team, are not safe enough to recover the car.
Virginia Beach
What we know about the body, vehicle found after car drove off VB Fishing Pier
"But to tell you how dangerous it was, they broke two bridles that hold their cranes in place," Ricardo said.
Unfortunately, those conditions won't be changing anytime soon, according to News 3 First Warning Weather Meteorologist Kristy Steward.
"On Friday, Saturday, we're talking four to six foot waves in the seas," Steward said. "As far as Sunday, things may be a little better."
Virginia Beach police, taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying another attempt would be made Friday.
The police department told News 3 the incident location still falls within their jurisdiction, so at this time, they're the lead investigating agency.
News
Mom whose son died by suicide visits Virginia Beach 14th St. pier tribute
The Coast Guard sent the following statement to News 3, saying their resources were not needed. The police and fire departments already had resources in place:
"The Coast Guard collaborates with local, state, and federal agencies, fostering strong relationships that enhance our collective capabilities. There are times when our partner agencies are the lead agency for a maritime response, such as the current Virginia Beach pier incident," the statement said. "Because of our partnerships, we work with and take task direction from the lead agency. The Coast Guard received notification of this tragic incident; however, our resources were not needed as the police and fire departments already had the appropriate and necessary resources to respond. Partnerships are the key to mission success, especially in the maritime domain."
Officer Brenya told Greene the police department could end up contacting the Coastal Guard for additional resources, if needed.
Police said once the car is recovered, it may need to go directly to a forensics facility, and then it could take some time to identify the body of the driver.
"If there is somebody in this car, it's a medically unattended death," Sgt. Ricardo said. "So that car is a crime scene, anything around the car is a crime scene."
