Man Drives Car Onto Frozen Detroit River

Police say it doesn't look like it was an accident that a man drove his car onto the frozen Detroit River. It happened just before 5 p.m. Monday at Erma Henderson Park on Detroit's east side. 

Detroit Police Lt. Dennis Johnson tells WWJ it looks like the driver intended to end up in the Detroit River. But the ice, and some brave officers,  prevented that.

"It appears that the individual, a black male, 31, drove over the hill, through the barrier, onto the ice," Johnson said. Police say the man was driving a Chrysler Sebring.

Luckily, police officers were able to walk across the ice and pull the driver to safety. Efforts then continued to pull the vehicle to the shore. 

The man was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Officers Frederick Williams and Stanley Saunders, both from the Northeast District, risked their lives to save the man, who had told them he wanted to die.

WWJ's Mike Campbell spoke with Detroit resident Richard Jackson who heard a horn honking and a loud noise from the balcony of his nearby highrise home, and he had to come see what was going on.

"I heard the noise and saw people running toward the ice. I knew something had happened that wasn't expected... I was hoping everybody was okay, but since I saw the car didn't go into the water I knew the person was probably alright," Jackson said.

The car was successfully recovered from the ice. The incident remains under investigation.