NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A car submerged near the brink of Niagara Falls since Wednesday has gone over the falls after a windy night in western New York, park officials said Sunday.
A spokesperson with New York State Parks, Niagara Region, told WIVB-TV that the car plunged over the American Falls but did not say when it happened.
The car was originally submerged about 50 yards from the brink of the American Falls when helicopters lowered a Coast Guard officer down, The Buffalo News reported.
A woman found inside the vehicle was already dead when she was pulled from the vehicle, authorities said Wednesday.
The diver, survival technician Derrian Duryea, braved strong winds and swift currents and opened the passenger door, pulled the woman out and lifted her to shore, according to the News.
>> Woman pulled from car that was submerged in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls faced wind gusts of more than 50 mph Saturday night as damaging winds swept through the area, according to WIVB.
While a cause of death for the woman has not been released, authorities believe the woman intentionally drove the vehicle into the Niagara River, WGRZ-TV reported.
>> Police: Woman pulled from submerged car in river above Niagara Falls was dead
“We have never had a vehicle in the water this close to the brink,” New York State Park Police Capt. Chris Rola said at a news conference on Thursday.
It is unclear what led to the incident, police said.