Body of man (30s) removed from vehicle that plunged into Wicklow town river

The incident occurred near to The Fish Man premises located on the South Quay. Gardaí received a phone call from a man reporting a vehicle having entered the water at 12.20 a.m. with one person inside the vehicle.

It’s understood that no one actually witnessed the vehicle entering the water, but at least one passer-by noticed the vehicle was already in the water and was quickly becoming submerged.

When Gardaí arrived on the scene, one member of the public was already in the water attempting to rescue the man trapped in the vehicle with the assistance of a buoyancy aid, but his efforts proved fruitless.

A local trained search and rescue driver assisted Wicklow RNLI and the Gardaí in removing the vehicle from the water through the use of a crane. The diver attached a strap from the crane to the vehicle and it was removed from the River Vartry after around two hours. A man’s body was inside the vehicle.

He also had a dog with him, who managed to escape from the vehicle before it submerged.

No other vehicles were involved in the incident. The name of the man has yet to be released until all his relatives and loved ones have been informed. He was born in 1984 and isn’t from the local area.