Police say that a man died early Saturday after his BMW Sport Utility Vehicle ran off the road and plunged into the Bridgeport Harbor.
BRIDGEPORT — Detectives are still working to piece together the moments before an SUV plunged into the Bridgeport Harbor early Christmas Eve, killing its driver, who was the only occupant.
Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said Wednesday investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fatal crash. He identified the driver of the vehicle as city resident Jamal Gordon, 33.
The incident happened around 2:50 a.m. Saturday near the Yellow Mill Bridge at the intersection of Stratford and Waterview avenues. Police have said emergency crews were dispatched to the scene after a caller reported the vehicle going down the embankment and into the water.
Witnesses informed the responding officers and firefighters when they arrived that the driver was still inside the car.
According to Assistant Fire Chief William Hathaway, fire officials found the SUV overturned on its roof about 30 feet from shore. The vehicle, a BMW, was partially submerged in the Yellow Mill Channel.
“We sent in members wearing cold water suits to search the vehicle for occupants,” Hathaway said in an email Wednesday. “One occupant was found unresponsive in the driver seat of the vehicle.”
Hathaway said crews then pulled the driver, later identified as Gordon, from the car and brought him to shore where CPR was initiated. Medics rushed him to Bridgeport Hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Police have said Gordon’s family members were at the scene of the crash and have been notified of his death. A visitation service in memory of Gordon has been scheduled for Jan. 3 at Morton’s Mortuary, according to an online obituary.
After Gordon was transported to the hospital, fire officials performed a second search of the partially-submerged vehicle with the help of a submersible camera to confirm there were no other occupants, Hathaway said.
The dive operation took place on one of the coldest mornings of the year. According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service, temperatures dropped into the single-digits Saturday morning and reached a low of seven degrees.
Police have said the Bridgeport Police scuba team and a tow truck service removed the SUV from the water. The department’s Detective Bureau Identification Unit and Patrol Division are investigating the incident.
richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com.
Twitter @RichChumney.
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