By Simone Jasper
Source The Charlotte Observer
A crash sent a police car off a road and plunging into chest-deep water in Eastern North Carolina, officials told news outlets.
The officer was trapped inside the car for about two hours as crews tried to free him overnight Monday, March 21, WCTI reported. A photo shared with the TV station shows the front of the cruiser was mangled after the crash.
“When I first saw the vehicle, I thought the worst, and when I jumped down in the water and cut away the airbags and saw (the officer), I was relieved to talk to him,” said Michael Jordan, fire chief for the town of Maysville, according to WITN.
Officials in the town — located in Jones County and roughly 120 miles southeast of Raleigh — told news outlets several agencies worked together to rescue the officer. He was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville and later was released from the hospital.
“I was ‘thankful’ that his injuries were as minor as they ended up being,” Jordan said, according to WITN.
Schumata Brown, the town manager, in an email told WNCT the officer was working for the Maysville Police Department when someone drove away from a checkpoint on March 21. The cop reportedly started chasing the car and crashed off N.C. Highway 58.
Officials said the police cruiser wrecked at about 11:30 p.m., and the rescue lasted until early March 22. The highway was closed for about three hours as crews handled different types of extraction equipment and worked in the 50-degree water, according to WCTI.
Maysville officials didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for information on March 23.
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