LOWELL, Mass. — Police in northern Massachusetts are investigating after a man was pulled from a submerged car in a Lowell canal Wednesday.
First responders were called to remove the submerged vehicle. The driver, a 65-year-old Lowell man, was found dead inside, the DA says.
The DA’s office said the vehicle seemingly crashed through the barrier surrounding the canal around 3:00 Wednesday morning.
“No other vehicles were involved in the crash and there is no foul play,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
Police could be seen taking pictures of a black SUV in a parking lot near the water.
Anthony Aia watched as the Honda Pilot was pulled from the water.
He said the driver was his neighbor, but that he didn’t know his name because of a language barrier.
“As soon as I saw the car and confirmed that it was him, the detectives came to our house to ask questions about it...,” Aia said and then paused. “This can’t be real. ”
What’s also unreal: the fact the car wound up in the Pawtucket Canal four to five hours before it was discovered by a dog-walker, Destiny Maxam.
“I noticed there was this big gap in the fence and I immediately thought it was dangerous for kids, or somebody could fall over,” Maxam said.
She called 9-1-1 after spotting what appeared to be a tail light just beneath the surface of the water.
“Within about 15 minutes somebody came and then he looked and said, yeah that’s definitely a taillight,” Maxam recalled. “It was clear that it had come with a lot of force because it took out two big concrete paths.”
Maxam said she was stunned nobody else walking along the canal stopped to consider the hazard.
“So many people just walked past,” she said. “Nobody bothered to call. To me it was so obvious that this was a safety concern if nothing else.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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