The car was pulled from the water just before 10.30pm. Photo/Doug Sherring
The car was pulled from the water just before 10.30pm. Photo/Doug Sherring
Police say they have identified the male driver of a car that went through a roundabout and into Auckland Harbour near the harbour bridge on Tuesday evening.
The man's body was removed from the water, along with the vehicle, about 10.30pm last night, police said. His family have been notifiedand are being supported.
The death will be referred to the coroner, police said.
The car's occupant is presumed to have drowned.
Police and firefighters pulled the submerged car - which was covered with a tarpaulin - out of the water, more than three hours after they were called to the incident, under the bridge near the Curran St onramp from Herne Bay.
Firefighters and police at the scene. Photo / Doug Sherring
Emergency services were called to the scene at 7.21pm. Earlier Tuesday evening a Fire Service spokesman said three firefighters dived into the water but could not find the car and had handed the operation over to police for a full search and rescue.
"There is a car in the water. We believe there is one person in the car. We have been unable to locate it specifically," he said.
"The call we had indicated there was a car in the water and some people were trying to get the person out of the car.
"Three firefighters entered the water to see if they could find it. They have been unsuccessful."
'It went down so fast, it was gone'
The car went into the water under the bridge near the Curran St onramp from Herne Bay. Photo / Doug Sherring
A woman who was one of the first at the scene said she saw a car come through the roundabout at Curran St and head straight for the water.
She was about to head home from walking her dogs when she saw the car plunge into the harbour.
The woman - who did not want to be identified - said she immediately rushed over and jumped in. "It went down so fast, it was gone."
A boat came over and positioned itself close to the car and people on board started yelling at the driver to get out, she said.
"Then the nose of the car started to go down and the rear window was showing, so they smashed it and yelled for someone to get out, and then it disappeared under water."
She was unable to reach the driver or see much in the water.
"I was in there and I could see the lights and the boat was shining torches but it was so murky and horrible it just disappeared."
The whole thing happened so quickly she said, there was "nothing we could do about it".