VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A body recovered from the Elizabeth River Sunday morning is believed to be the drowning victim authorities were searching for Saturday night, the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) told 13News Now.
At around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, crews found a body in the river near Behl Court and Johnathans Cove Drive. The medical examiner's office is working to identify the body and confirm how the person died, police said.
Multiple agencies, including the VBPD and Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD), launched a search Saturday evening in the same area after an officer reported seeing someone get into the river and not resurface.
Police told 13News Now that the person they believe entered the water is the suspect in a larceny and indecent exposure call they received at around 5:20 p.m.
“Somehow, someway one of our officers was able to locate the individual in this location, and then they saw that individual go into the water and never came back out," said VBPD Officer Jude Brenya.
One neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, told 13News Now that he saw the whole thing unfold, saying he saw a man jump off his dock.
“I saw the guy taking his clothes off and I said, ‘This fool’s about to jump in the water.’”
Officer Brenya said responding crews all had one goal -- to hopefully save a life. However, he said the weather conditions are not great.
“By this point, we’re not sure what we have because the water temperature and the weather condition is not ideal,” he explained.
When asked if the possible drowning was connected to a police pursuit, VBPD said they could not confirm that at this time.
The scene has since cleared, but police cars, firetrucks, search boats and even drones were all looking for this person for several hours.