Man dead after truck plunges into water in East Providence

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A man died after a truck plunged into the water in East Providence early Thursday morning, according to authorities.

Steve Mastriano, an incident commander with the East Providence Fire Department, said a car was under water since 5 a.m. That car has been found.

“There were witnesses on scene that had video or picture of the vehicle in the water,” said Mastriano. “So, we definitely knew we had a vehicle in the water… Before marine units arrived on scene, we used sonar to look for the vehicle.”

Just moments before noon, rescue crews pulled that car from the water and were seen loading it onto a tow truck.

Mastriano said they’ve identified one person but have yet to provide their name.

He added, “There were fishermen here. So, people come here at that time, in the morning fishing or whatever. So, I don’t know why he was here.”

The high tide and current impacted the recovery effort, he said. No further information was immediately released.

An ABC 6 News crew on the scene saw dive teams enter the water after crews searched the surface for any possible occupants.

Three boats were initially sent out. The U.S. Coast Guard later arrived.

Rhode Island State Police and other fire departments, including Providence and Warwick, helped in the response.

The Medical Examiners’ Office arrived at the scene just before 10 a.m.