Four people are dead after the car they were in plunged into a creek in Queens, New York, and then flipped over.
One of the women in the car was celebrating her 19th birthday with four friends at a Buffalo Wild Wings that night, according to the New York Post. After leaving the restaurant, their car somehow drove off the road and into the water.
"The 20-year-old driver did manage to escape the vehicle. He swam to shore and called 911 but to no avail." (Via WNBC)
The driver placed the 911 call at 10:36 p.m. Six minutes later, rescue workers began arriving. A total of 65 firefighters joined the rescue operation. (Via WCBS)
New York Daily News says by 11:15 p.m. the four passengers —two men, the birthday girl, and another woman — had all been pulled from the car, which was submerged in 10 feet of water in Steinway Creek. All four were taken to nearby hospitals where they were pronounced dead.
The names of the driver and the four victims have not been released yet, but Daily Mail notes a spokesman for the New York Fire Department said it looked as if three of the victims had suffered from cardiac arrest.
Police have begun an investigation into what happened.
"The street dead ends right by the water. It is unclear whether or not the driver of the car was unfamiliar with this industrial area or got lost or was speeding." (Via WABC)
The driver of the car, who blew a .00 on a breathalyzer test, is currently being treated at Elmhurst Hospital for hypothermia.
