Ongoing Efforts to Recover Vehicle that Drove off 14th Street Pier

On January 27, 2024, at 6:52 A.M., Virginia Beach Emergency Communications and Citizen Services received calls reporting a vehicle had driven off the pier at the oceanfront on 14th Street in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Members of the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) and Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD) arrived to find a completely submerged vehicle. Dangerous water conditions, to include poor visibility, prevented divers from deploying. This resulted in resorting to utilizing sonar to locate the vehicle which was determined to be on the ocean floor.

As the incident transitioned into a recovery operation, the appropriate salvage equipment had to be located and respond to Virginia Beach.  On January 28, 2024, around 1:00 P.M., an attempt to recover the vehicle was made utilizing a salvage barge and professional salvage divers from a contracted private company. Due to continued adverse water conditions there were issues maintaining the stability of the salvage barge, as well as continuing concerns for diver safety.   

As a result, the planned vehicle recovery has been postponed. VBPD and the contractor are reassessing and devising a plan for a safe and effective recovery operation.

At this time, the exact number or identity of occupants remains unknown. The goal of this mission is to safely retrieve the vehicle, reunite all occupants with their loved ones, and maintain the integrity of all evidence. We would like to thank all partners, including VBFD, for their assistance in this tragic incident. We would also like to express our profound condolences to the family of the deceased. VBPD is working diligently to bring closure to their loved ones through our investigative and recovery process.

We will provide regular updates on the progress of this incident via our Twitter page at https://twitter.com/VBPD. If you have information about this case, please contact the VBPD Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101 or anonymously through Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP/P3tips.com.