Driver killed when car crashes into water in Port Chester
PORT CHESTER, Westchester County (WABC) -- The driver of a car was killed when his vehicle crashed into the water in Port Chester early Thursday, but his passenger managed to survive.
It happened on Purdy Avenue just north of I-287 around 1:40 a.m.
Police said the driver, 31-year-old Juan Garcia-Suchite, a restaurant worker and father of three, was killed.
His passenger, Edy Payes Sanchez, 36, of Norwalk, Connecticut, managed to get out of the car on his own and told police that Garcia-Suchite was still in the water.
The vehicle was found in about 10 feet of water and was on its roof. It was pulled from the Byram River by a crane and Garcia-Suchite was found dead still inside the vehicle.
A worker at a nearby business said cars fly down the street not realizing it's a dead end.
Police say their initial investigations show that speed played a part in the accident, but they are awaiting toxicology reports to learn whether drugs or alcohol also played a role.
The vehicle struck a large bolder at the end of the roadway, causing the vehicle to become airborne. It flew over a chain link fence and through trees before landing in the river.
By the afternoon, Publics Works crews were repositioning the boulders and repairing the fence that acts as a barrier.
"People tend to follow a GPS and think they're going somewhere else when they're actually not, so they come down here fast," area worker Billy Stan said.
ALSO READ | New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver dies at 71
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
