VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The community is still in shock after a driver drove off the Virginia Beach pier near 14th Street.
A vigil is scheduled to be hosted Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. Caitlin Parker and Kaylynn Crawford were on a morning run Saturday and stopped to take pictures of the sunrise when they witnessed the tragedy.
“We were looking out, taking pictures of the sunrise, then [we] hear this big crash,” Parker said. “I look over and I see this car straight lining it for the end of the pier.”
The video circulating on social media was captured by Crawford. 10 On Your Side removed the video from our coverage out of respect for the family.
“We heard a big crash,” said Crawford. “At first it [the car] was going really fast… toward the end, the car started to slow down. It looked as if it teeter-tottered at the end. Then all of a sudden just it dropped down over the pier.”
In shock, they called for help immediately.
“We were in shock we called 911 immediately so we didn’t have much time to process what we saw but after I hung up the phone with 911, police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, all started coming towards us,” said Crawford.
Days later, police are working to remove the car from the water, releasing information on X Monday afternoon.
Attached to the boardwalk near the pier, Antonio Simmons taped up a handwritten letter saying “Dear Stranger, I don’t know you. I may never know you but I’m sad for you.”
“I was genuinely sad for the person,” Simmons said. “I came across the video. I saw the comments and I saw a lot of people being non-empathetic towards the situation, maybe making jokes. It made me really feel for this person because we still don’t know who it is. Those details haven’t come out yet, I just I wanted to show that there’s still people out here who care about you, even if we don’t know you.”
Simmons worries this is a suicide as he reflected on his own struggles and the death of a friend to suicide three years ago.
“I’ve been going through it,” Simmons said. “I feel like a lot of people have. It’s just all around. You just never know who was going through it until you ask.”
His letter to a stranger is a push to start the conversation.
“We’re stronger together than when we are alone. we’re not meant to be alone,” he said. “Some people should reach out, but others, you got to take that step and reach out to somebody, get help.”
In his letter, Simmons shared this message for the family.
He adds, “I’m really sorry for your loss. I’m sorry that this person felt like they had to do what they had to do, and they’re not selfish for it.”
Simmons would like a permanent memorial near the pier.
“I want the family to have something to remember this person by,” Simmons said. “This is a big tourist spot, but it’d be perfect to bring more awareness so that others see what’s happening here. If they’re going through it, they can reach out to professional help or just reach out to the community.”
Simmons told 10 On Your Side that people in Oregon, Rhode Island and Florida have been reaching out to him. He hopes more people support his push for a permanent memorial. He hopes to get in contact with the owner of the pier and city leaders.
“Keep pushing out love to just bring more awareness,” he said.
In a news release Sunday, Virginia Beach police wrote that, “at this time, the exact number or identity of occupants remains unknown. The goal of this mission is to safely retrieve the vehicle, reunite all occupants with their loved ones, and maintain the integrity of all evidence. We would like to thank all partners, including VBFD, for their assistance in this tragic incident. We would also like to express our profound condolences to the family of the deceased. VBPD is working diligently to bring closure to their loved ones through our investigative and recovery process.”