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A man died after a minivan plunged off the Santa Cruz Wharf around 9:44 a.m. Sunday, leading to first responders launching a water rescue to save the man and a dog from inside the submerged vehicle 30 feet below the water’s surface, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
Lifeguards and the Santa Cruz Fire Department firefighters arrived on scene three minutes after a Toyota Sienna minivan drove over the edge of the wharf. The rescuers then jumped into the water from the pier to locate the vehicle, Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief Josh Coleman said. Thirteen public safety personnel performed surface dives for 10 minutes before locating the vehicle turned upside down on the ocean floor, despite rough surf and low visibility.
“It’s a testament to the bravery and training of our responders,” Coleman said. “We have a dedicated full-time wharf crew that was the key component to responding to this incident.”
First responders broke through the windows of the van and extracted the male victim and the dog from inside the vehicle, Coleman said. Firefighters transported the man to Santa Cruz Harbor and took him to Dominican Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The victim’s identity has not been released, and officials are still investigating the incident, Coleman said.
The dog recovered from the minivan is alive and currently with Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, Coleman said.
Santa Cruz Fire Department, Central Fire, California State Parks, Scotts Valley Fire and the Santa Cruz Police Department all responded to the incident and remained on scene, according to a City of Santa Cruz news release. Crews spent an additional hour at the scene to confirm there were no other victims located in the vehicle. The van was pulled from the ocean floor and brought onto the beach for removal, Coleman said.
The Santa Cruz Wharf has been reopened to the public, Coleman said.
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