Texas Men Died While Trying To Jump Their Car Over An Open Drawbridge In Louisiana, Police Say

Two Texas men are dead after police say they tried to jump their car over an open drawbridge and ended up plunging into the waters of an intercoastal waterway in Louisiana.

As NBC News reported, the Louisiana State Police responded to what was reported as a one-car crash on the Black Bayou Bridge just after 2 a.m. on Friday. The bridge had been closed to traffic as a boat passed underneath, but witnesses told police that the passenger of the car exited the vehicle and pushed up the arm of the gate that was preventing cars from driving onto the bridge. The man returned to the car and the driver then accelerated toward the ramp at the end of the bridge.

The driver stopped the car briefly and reversed, then accelerated forward again in an attempt to jump over the open portion of the drawbridge, witnesses told police. The car did not clear the gap, however, and was sent into the waters of the waterway below.

In a message posted to its Facebook page, the Louisiana State Police identified the driver as 23-year-old Alejandro Cazares of McAllen, Texas, and the passenger as 32-year-old Roberto Alejandro Moreno of Edinburg, Texas.

The department said that the driver was found dead inside the vehicle, while the passenger was able to escape, but was also found dead.

“The vehicle became airborne, landed in the waterway, and sank to the bottom,” the department said in the release. “The driver was unable to exit the vehicle and the passenger was located outside of the submerged vehicle. Both were pronounced dead at the scene by the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office.”

The strange circumstances of the crash attracted national attention, with a number of news outlets picking up on the story.

This was also not the first time that a car attempted to jump the drawbridge on Black Bayou Bridge. In 2016, a man wanted by police on two active warrants led officers on a high-speed chase that eventually led him to the bridge. As KPLC-TV reported, suspect Morgan Lyons was attempting to jump the bridge when his car crashed into the barriers and came to rest on a pontoon.

“Not only do the traffic arms come down but there’s a concrete barrier that comes up,” said Calcasieu Chief Deputy Stitch Guillory. “He attempted to actually jump the bridge.”

This week’s fatal crash remains under investigation. Police said they have obtained toxicology samples that have been submitted for analysis.