WASHINGTON — A man is dead after his truck plunged into the Potomac River in northwest D.C. Tuesday morning.
Metropolitan police were called at 12:17 a.m. to the 2900 block of Virginia Avenue when a U.S. Secret Service officer saw a truck drive into the river near Thompson's Boathouse, a police source said.
MPD officers responded quickly to the scene and their Harbor Division was called. D.C. Fire and EMS rescue crews and U.S. Park Police officers also rushed to the scene where the pickup truck disappeared under the water near the Boathouse pier, according to a D.C. Fire tweet.
The driver of the red Toyota pickup truck was seen "frantically trying to escape" before it submerged, according to a police report.
Rescue divers went into the freezing water and found the driver's body still inside the vehicle, and the rescue mission became a recovery effort, fire officials said.
The victim was recovered unconscious and not breathing, a police report said.
Because of the freezing water, the first diver to find the victim had to come out of the river before they were able to free the man's body. A second diver was able to recover the victim's body, which is now with the medical examiner, officials said.
Police are still working to confirm the man's identity. It's unclear what caused the accident.
According to police, the truck is still at the bottom of the Potomac and will not be removed until later Tuesday morning when crews are able to bring in a heavy-duty crane.