San Diego Driver Faces No Charges After New Year’s Drive Into Mission Bay


A San Diego man drove his Volvo car into Mission Bay at around 2 a.m. on New Year’s morning. Friday saw a tow truck pulling the car out of the water, just off Fiesta Island, and apparently there will be no criminal charges. The incident is considered to be accidental.

The vehicle was found approximately 50 yards off the coast and was completely submerged. San Diego police reckon that the man was lost at the time it occurred. According to Lt. Scott Wahl of the San Diego Police Department, the man appears to have driven off the turn without hitting his brakes, and ended up driving straight into the water. Wahl said the man told them he was able to roll down his window and get out of the car safely, and that there were no passengers in the vehicle.

According to NBC San Diego, there was some doubt at first because the driver took 12 hours to call police to report that he had driven his car into the bay. However, officials still believe he was lost, and that this was purely accidental.

As they pulled the four-door Volvo vehicle out of the bay, it was full of mud and water spilled out of the doors. They found the keys still in the ignition, and apparently the parking brake was still on. In the front, a cellphone was plugged in, charging before the accident occurred. In the backseat, police found a skateboard and an amplifier. In the trunk, they discovered a guitar case belonging to the San Diego man.

San Diego
A pack of Tecate beer found in the trunk of the Volvo.

While Lt. Wahl told CBS News that there was no evidence the man had been drinking at the time of the accident. However, the CBS News 8 camera did capture an image of an 18-pack of Tecate beer in the Volvo.

Lt. Wahl reiterated that while they can assume a lot of things at that time, they didn’t have any evidence of criminal activity. He further said that while they do appreciate it if people do the right thing and call when such an accident happens, there are no laws that force people to do this, and there is no crime in delaying your call to authorities.

Reportedly, lifeguards had to wait until the tide was out to be able to safely tow out the car. Apparently, the owner will be responsible for the tow truck driver’s fee, but since lifeguard and police officers were already on duty, he will not be charged for their actions.

CBS 8 reports that the owner is still unnamed, but while they were filming the tow truck pulling the vehicle out of the water and catching the owner on video, the San Diego man was not particularly cooperative with the media and actually “flipped them the bird.”

In sadder regional news, the Inquisitr reports a northern white rhino recently died in San Diego Zoo, leaving only five left alive in the world.

[Images: Screengrabs from CBS video]

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