Medical Examiner confirms Virginia Beach 14th Street pier driver was man reported missing

The Medical Examiner has confirmed the identity of the driver of the vehicle that drove off the 14th Street pier in Virginia Beach on Jan. 27.

The Medical Examiner has confirmed the deceased is a white male, 57, from Virginia Beach. This is the same individual that family members reported missing.

The name of the man was not been released by the Virginia Beach Police Department likely due to the likely mental health nature of the accident.

The deceased male’s body was recovered by Crofton Industries from the ocean on Friday.

Crofton Industries arrived at the 14th Street pier with a barge, crane and dive team, at approximately 6:15 a.m. Friday. The vehicle’s location was confirmed using sonar, and at around 9 a.m., a hard hat diver went in and secured the vehicle for removal. By 9:20 a.m., the crane had successfully removed the vehicle from the water and placed it on the barge. The recovery was delayed multiple times due to bad weather and rough waters.

The recovered vehicle was confirmed to be a red Nissan Kicks.

There was one adult male in the vehicle. He was pronounced deceased at 9:29 a.m. and transported to the Medical Examiner for identification.

The VBPD investigation determined there was no evidence of criminality prior to the individual driving off the boardwalk.

“While we cannot presume to fully know what motivated this individual’s actions, they do appear to have been deliberate,” a news release from the VBPD read. “For that reason, we wanted to share the following local mental health organizations, support groups and resources for suicide prevention and education.

Mental health resources

• 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• NAMI Coastal Virginia crisis resource list
• Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation
• CHAS Foundation

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If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
For local mental health resources, visit AFP’s Project Mental Health page.