OGDEN CANYON, Utah, Jan. 4, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Police had been tracking a blue Dodge Durango for at least half an hour via 911 callers reporting erratic driving Thursday afternoon before it plunged fatally into Pineview Reservoir .
The Durango went into the water from a roadside pull-off next to Pineview Dam at about 4:30 p.m., said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Brandon Whitehead. The deceased adult male driver and the vehicle were recovered from the reservoir by about 8 p.m., he said.
“We’re confident it was only the driver in the vehicle when it went into the water,” Whitehead said. Divers from the Weber County Sheriff‘s Search and Rescue team located car and driver after about three hours in the icy water. UHP is investigating the crash.
Police were tracking the Durango through South Ogden and Ogden from two or more callers reporting erratic driving since 4 p.m., including a hit-and-run collision with no injuries, Whitehead said. Officers were working on a plan to intercept him, made difficult by the changing location, he said.
The last caller had followed the Durango up Ogden Canyon from the canyon mouth and witnessed it go into the reservoir, Whitehead said.
The driver has been identified as a local resident, he said, but the name is withheld pending notifications. Suicide is included in the investigation, he said. “It’s certainly a possibility.” Documenting the scene and interviewing family and associates is still to come.
Weber Fire District said two witnesses who had attempted to assist the driver of the submerged vehicle were found down by the shore and unable to make their way back up the icy embankment.
Weber Fire crews set up a 3-to-1 mechanical haul system with a harness to assist the good Samaritans to safety, while Weber County Search & Rescue began recovery efforts. “A huge thank you to everyone involved, and our thoughts are with the family of the driver.”
