Byram residents reported hearing a helicopter buzzing in the neighborhood early Thursday morning.
The operator of a car with one passenger crashed into the Byram River at the end of Purdy Ave just north of I95 in Port Chester.
The driver, Juan Garcia-Suchite, 31, of Port Chester, was declared deceased by EMS. Toxicology reports on the driver are pending.
The passenger, Edy Payes Sanchez, 36, of Norwalk, was able to get out of the car on his own. He reportedly told police that the driver was in the water.
Port Chester Police said on Facebook that when they arrived they located Mr. Sanchez sitting on the nearby rocks and that the vehicle was located on its roof in the Byram River.
The car, a Jeep Wrangler, was lifted from the river upside down, by a crane.
Port Chester Fire Dept, assisted by the Greenwich Police Dive Team, Greenwich Fire Dept, New Rochelle Police Dive Team, Purchase Fire Dept, Stamford Fire Dept and Westchester County Emergency Services all assisted with the search.
Channel 7 reported that the driver might not have realized Purdy Ave dead ends at the Byram River, in the area opposite Rudy’s Tackle Barn in Greenwich..
According to ABC News Channel 7, the Jeep struck a large bolder at the end of Purdy Ave, causing it to become airborne, fly over a chain link fence and through trees before landing in the Byram River.
Port Chester Police said in a Facebook post, “The investigation has revealed that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed struck a large rock prior to becoming airborne and landing in the water.”
Police said the investigation is on-going.
Note: This article has been updated to include information from Port Chester Police.
