A person was found dead inside an SUV that crews pulled from a canal near Signal Butte Road and Dragoon Avenue in Mesa on Thursday, after a crash sent the vehicle into the waterway and emergency responders spent hours working to recover it. Mesa Fire Department crews used a heavy wrecker to hoist the submerged vehicle out of the water, describing the operation as extremely difficult.
According to KTAR News, Arizona’s Family estimated the vehicle was recovered roughly three hours after the crash occurred, with Mesa Fire crews on scene around 12:30 p.m. As of Thursday, fire officials had not confirmed how many people were inside the SUV when it went into the canal.
Why Canal Recoveries Take Specialized Crews
Vehicle recoveries from Valley canals can be difficult. Salt River Project operates 131 miles of canals across the Phoenix metro area.
SRP's official safety rules bar non-authorized motorized vehicles from canal banks and prohibit anyone from entering the water for any reason, instead directing witnesses to call 911 immediately rather than attempting a rescue themselves. The utility supplies water to more than 2 million Valley residents through that canal network, according to the same guidance.
Canal Emergencies Across the Valley
The canal is near Signal Butte Road in East Mesa.
Thursday's recovery adds to a string of canal incidents across Maricopa County in recent years. In December 2024, a mother and four children survived after their car crashed through a barrier and plunged into a canal near 95th Avenue and McDowell Road. Bystanders jumped in to help, and emergency responders arrived soon afterward. In September 2021, a 7-year-old boy died after an off-road vehicle he was trapped inside rolled over and submerged eight feet deep in standing water within the Salt River channel, KTAR News reported at the time.
Open Questions About the Crash
What caused Thursday's vehicle to leave the road and enter the canal has not been established, and fire officials had not released how many people were in the SUV as of Thursday.
No further details about Thursday's victim have been released.
