Newport Beach police rescued a man this week from a partially submerged vehicle in the Back Bay, authorities reported.
Police received a call around 11:24 p.m. Monday from a local resident who reported hearing a crash and then people yelling in the area of Back Bay Drive and Shellmaker Road, explained Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Responding officers found the car partially submerged and two of the three occupants already out of the vehicle and on dry land. The two teenagers, a male driver and a female passenger, were able to escape through an open window, Manzella said.
The third occupant, a male passenger of unknown age, was still inside, she explained.
“The male passenger was trapped by his seatbelt and he was struggling to keep his head above water,” Manzella said.
Police officers entered the water and one officer, who wishes to remain unnamed, helped the young man cut the seatbelt so that he could be safely brought to the shore, she noted.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but it does not appear that another vehicle was involved, the police reported. There is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved and no arrests have been made, Manzella said.
The car had to be removed by a tow truck, although Manzella was unsure how long it sat in the bay before being removed.
The occupants of the vehicle suffered minor injuries but did not require transportation to a hospital.
