Man drowns in submerged vehicle

An Alameda fire rescue swimmer pulled a drowning man out of a submerged vehicle in the Oakland Estuary this morning, a fire captain said, but the victim did not survive.

Emergency crews were called to the waterfront near Blanding Avenue and Broadway at 7:01 a.m. this morning on report of a submerged vehicle, according to Capt. James Colburn with the Alameda Fire Department.

Witnesses told investigators that a vehicle had been seen speeding through a parking lot before it went up onto a sidewalk, thru a barricade and into the water, Colburn said.

A rescue swimmer with the Alameda Fire Department was able to pull a man out of a vehicle. He was transported to Highland Hospital, and pronounced deceased sometime after leaving the scene, according to Colburn.

Dive teams are searching the waters around the vehicle for additional victims.

Crews on scene include personnel from Alameda police and fire, Southern Marin Fir Protection District, the San Francisco Fire Department, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard.