Harbor Police Rescue Man, Woman After Van Plunges Into San Diego Bay

Tuesday, 07 April 2009
Contact: John Gilmore, (619) 686-7206, Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

Port of San Diego Harbor Police officers are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a man and woman whose minivan crashed into San Diego Bay. The incident happened Monday, April 6, just before 11 p.m. on Harbor Island.

According to Lt. John Forsythe, witnesses called police to report a vehicle in the water near the Sheraton Hotel. Witnesses said a Dodge Caravan was traveling south on Harbor Island Drive from North Harbor Drive. When the vehicle reached the "T" intersection at the traffic signal, the driver failed to turn left or right, Forsythe said. Instead, the vehicle continued toward the water, striking the curb and launching into the Bay.

Within minutes, Harbor Police officers were at in the water, searching the submerged van for victims.  Forsythe called the response of the officers incredible.

"It was absolutely unbelievable. People went in with full gear, partial gear, no gear and took care of business. One of the guys was only in his underwear, wearing a facemask when he went in," said Forsythe. "Luckily it was during shift change so we had twice as many police officers on scene to handle everything from the traffic to getting the bodies out of the water."

A woman, identified as Margaret Johnson, 57, of Vista, was pulled out of the vehicle first from the driver's area. She was unconscious and was not breathing. Divers swam her body to the rocky shoreline where she was pulled safely to shore and officers immediately began CPR. Three to four minutes later, the San Diego Fire Rescue Department and paramedics arrived to continue treating her.

Officers also rescued the woman's husband, Robert Johnson, 62. He was found floating in the rear of the vehicle. He also was unconscious. Divers again swam him to the shore where rescue crews began CPR.

The rocky terrain left officers with some minor cuts and bruises. "Everyone was pretty banged up getting the bodies out of the car," said Forsythe. The estimated water temperature in the bay was 58 degrees.

Both victims were transported to a local area hospital where they were last reported to be in critical but stable condition.

Details of the Bay Rescue

The first two divers to arrive on scene were Cpl. David Marshall and Officer Mike Craig. Officer Craig stripped down to his underwear and dove into the 58 degree water, according to Sgt. Dave Fouser. Marshall followed wearing only a wetsuit and mask.  Marshall dove down to the driver's side window and found that it was open. He reached in with his hand and swept the area finding the female driver who was not seat belted in at the time. He pulled her through the window and to the surface, said Fouser. Marshall assisted Craig with swimming her to shore where additional officers were waiting to carry her lifeless body up the rocks and to the grass where CPR was performed by Cpl. Joseph Sharp, Officer Christopher Scheil, and Officer Michael Dye.

Craig and Marshall returned to the vehicle and Marshall began breaking the windows of the vehicle with his window punch. Officer Steven Bailey, in full dive gear, began searching the interior of the vehicle for other victims. Officer Craig shined his dive light into the vehicle and saw a body floating near the rear window.  Marshall broke the rear window of the vehicle he reached in to blindly sweep the vehicle and found the man floating in the back.

"Although all members of the dive team are trained to perform in water rescues, I feel it is important to note that for any officer (especially a diver) to knowingly enter 58 degree water at night -- with zero visibility and little to no thermal protection, dive down and reach through a broken window and blindly sweep the area with their hands to rescue a victim and then go back and do it again -- is by any definition heroic," said Fouser.

"All responding officers are to be commended for working as a team and for some, puting themselves at risk to provide a successful outcome to a tragic incident," Fouser added. He said that although both victims are currently listed in critical but stable condition, the five to 10 minutes they spent without oxygen is survivable due to the cold water and hypothermic conditions.

The incident remains under investigation. There were no obvious signs of alcohol being involved but all causes are being investigated, said Forsythe. The van was found upright, but the roof had collapsed, and Forsythe said it most likely landed on its roof and righted itself.

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