Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Megan Larson 612-919-5918
Vehicle with Body Inside Recovered from Minnesota River
June 18, 2024 (Minneapolis) - On Sunday, June 16 at 7:55 p.m., Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol Deputies and members of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington Police Department, Bloomington Fire Department, the Burnsville Fire Department, and South Metro Fire Department responded to the Lyndale Avenue Boat Launch in Bloomington on a report of a vehicle entering the Minnesota River. Bystanders observed the vehicle enter the water and become fully submerged. Water Patrol located the vehicle with sonar but due to extreme current, it was unsafe for divers to enter the water. Attempts to recover the vehicle from the river were unsuccessful.
Due to extremely dangerous water conditions on Sunday and Monday, JF Brennan Company, a commercial salvage diving company, was contacted to assist with the vehicle recovery. They were able to hook the vehicle and today at about 10:45 a.m., the vehicle was successfully pulled out of the water. We can confirm that there was a person inside the vehicle. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office was called to the scene and will be making the identification and determining cause of death. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is investigating this case.
During the recovery efforts, HCSO Water Patrol Deputies used sonar detection to locate the vehicle. During that search, sonar also detected a second vehicle in close proximity to the first vehicle. Today at approximately 2:45 pm, we were able to pull that vehicle out of the water. It appears that vehicle had been in the river for some time and we believe the two incidents are unrelated. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is also investigating this case.
We want to thank all of our law enforcement partners as well as JF Brennan Company and Chief’s Towing for all of their efforts.
– HCSO–
Look for more news on the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office website at hennepinsheriff.org.
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