One dead after van drives off Santa Cruz Wharf on Sunday morning

One person has died after a minivan drove off the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Sunday morning.

According to a Santa Cruz Fire Department social media post, the initial report came in at about 9:44 a.m. The white Toyota Sienna drove into Monterey Bay right across from Marini’s Candies on the wharf.

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, SCFD Battalion Chief Josh Coleman said that there was only one occupant inside the vehicle and one dog rescued from the water. The dog is alive and with county animal control. Santa Cruz Police Department spokesperson Katie Lee confirmed to Lookout that there is believed to have been only one person inside the vehicle.

Coleman said the car was reported submerged by the time firefighters arrived on scene. After 10 minutes of searching, rescue crews found the vehicle on its roof with the windows rolled up and the victim inside unconscious. Rescue crews broke a window in order to retrieve the victim.

SCFD Marine Safety Cpt. David Bodine told Lookout that because there was no way to know whether the victim’s injuries were traumatic in nature or from drowning, they were brought to the Santa Cruz Harbor, where rescue crews attempted life-saving efforts.

“That looks like intubation, possibly life-saving cardiac drugs,” he said. “All of the advanced life-saving measures.”

Photo gallery: Search and rescue at Santa Cruz Wharf

Despite those measures, the victim was pronounced dead at Dominican Hospital. Coleman declined to provide information about the victim’s identity, including gender or age, and said the cause of the crash is being investigated by the Santa Cruz Police Department.

According to video posted to social media, a witness reported seeing the vehicle drive at a high rate of speed toward the wharf.

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Bodine told Lookout that it took about 33 minutes to retrieve the victim from the water. Coleman said that large ocean swells and poor visibility made it a challenging operation, but that all responding agencies acted fast and all emergency crews exited the water safely. The National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement for Santa Cruz County throughout the weekend, warning of large breaking waves and rip currents.

“We have 8- to 12-foot surf and zero visibility at the bottom of that ocean,” said Coleman. “I don’t know too many people that would want to jump in and swim to the bottom on a day like this. It’s a testament to the quality of responders that we have.”

The Santa Cruz Fire Department came to the scene, along with personnel from Central Fire of Santa Cruz County, California State Parks, Scotts Valley Fire District and the Santa Cruz Police Department. Mark Woodward, a local photographer who goes by Native Santa Cruz on social media, said that the Coast Guard, harbor patrol and wharf crew were also on scene.

The wharf was briefly closed Sunday but reopened shortly before noon with limited access and was completely reopened by 3 p.m.

Separately, police said that a shooting near Beach Street and Riverside Avenue in the vicinity of the wharf around 10:48 p.m. Saturday left one person in critical condition. Lee told Lookout there is no indication the two events are related.

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