An SUV driver was pulled from the St. Johns River in Mayport Village Saturday after a private gate was opened and the SUV continued through the property, reportedly striking a boat before ending up submerged in the water, according to Jacksonville police. The driver was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital by Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department crews.
According to Action News Jax, Jacksonville police responded to the crash involving the SUV in Mayport Village, and the driver ended up in the waters of the St. Johns River. The outlet reports that a Facebook post from the Mayport Waterfront Partnership described six police vehicles headed toward the Michael B. Scanlan Mayport Boat Ramp, with the police response ultimately including four Jacksonville Sheriff's Office units and two Atlantic Beach Police Department units.
A Chase That Crossed City Lines
Per the same Facebook post cited in the report, the incident reportedly began on Mayport Road in Atlantic Beach before the driver ended up at the end of Ocean Street at the private gate of the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association. The post claims the gate was opened before the driver continued through the property, reportedly struck a boat, and then drove the vehicle into the St. Johns River. Jacksonville police, however, said the crash occurred Saturday and could not confirm the Facebook post's claims about an earlier crash in Atlantic Beach, leaving that portion of the sequence unconfirmed.
The pilot station sits at 4910 Ocean Street, near the entrance of the Mayport Cut channel, where state and federally licensed harbor pilots from the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association have guided commercial shipping traffic through the river around the clock since the organization was founded in 1890. Next door at 4870 Ocean Street sits the Michael B. Scanlan Mayport Boat Ramp, which Visit Jacksonville describes as Duval County's largest public boat ramp and the closest launch point to the Atlantic Ocean along the St. Johns River.
Open Questions On Charges And Damage
Because Jacksonville police could not confirm the reported Atlantic Beach portion of the incident, it remains unclear whether the driver will face hit-and-run charges. Under Florida Statute § 316.061, failing to stop and remain at the scene of a crash resulting in property damage is a second-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. If any crash caused personal injury to another person, the charge would escalate under Florida Statute § 316.027 to a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The extent of property damage to the Bar Pilot gate and the boat that was reportedly struck has not been detailed, and the driver's medical status following transport by JFRD has not been released.
Action News Jax reported that it had reached out to the Atlantic Beach Police Department for additional information. The alleged crash sequence moved from Atlantic Beach's Mayport Road onto Ocean Street in Mayport Village, which falls under the primary jurisdiction of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office; units from both agencies responded.
A Familiar Role For Marine Rescue Crews
JFRD's Marine Rescue Units are among the department's resources for water-rescue operations. The department's Operations Division includes approximately 1,200 highly trained professionals and 58 fire engines, with specialized marine units supporting water-rescue operations, per MyJFRD. Those crews trained alongside U.S. Coast Guard Station Mayport in a joint Boat Operator Search and Rescue exercise in the waters off Mayport Village this past April, according to a JFRD Facebook post.
A Working Waterfront In Transition
The crash unfolded in a village with deep maritime roots. Mayport has a shrimping heritage, according to Jax Facts.
Hoodline previously reported on a bridge standoff that snarled I-295 traffic in August.
