MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A man was killed after, authorities said, a car fleeing from police in Miramar with four people inside crashed into a retention pond, early Sunday morning.
Divers recovered the body of 22-year-old Robert Anthony Andrade following an all-night search. “At approximately 11:45 this morning, the dive team was able to recover the body of a male,” said Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Wysocky.
7News cameras later showed the victims’ 2007 Nissan Altima being pulled from the water.
According to investigators, Miramar Police officers approached that vehicle after they spotted it parked with its lights out at a bus stop along 186th Avenue, at around 2:15 a.m.
“The Miramar Police Department pulled up on the vehicle, got out to investigate it, when the subjects pulled away,” said Wysocky.
Police said the car was speeding and all over the road. Officers decided not to pursue.
Investigators said the Altima was traveling eastbound on Miramar Parkway and was approaching the southbound entrance ramp to Interstate 75 when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The car struck a curb, veered off the roadway and came to rest in the retention pond.
Three occupants were able to get out of the car safely. “They were the ones advising us that there was a fourth person in the vehicle,” said Wysocky.
Two 19-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy were on the banks when police arrived. The young male was transported to Memorial West Hospital with minor injuries.
After more than eight hours of searching, divers found Andrade’s body under 10 feet of water, about 20 feet from the shore.
Marks on the road and in the grass that show when the Nissan drove straight into the water were still clearly visible hours later.
Investigators have not yet determined who was driving it at the time of the accident or why it took off when police approached.
FHP is handling the ongoing investigation.
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