2 Men Killed When SUV Plunges Into San Gabriel River in Long Beach

2 Men Killed When SUV Plunges Into San Gabriel River in Long Beach
A San Mateo County Sheriff officer puts up police tape at a crime scene after a shooting in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2023. (Samantha Laurey/AFP via Getty Images)
City News Service
1/22/2024
Updated:
1/22/2024

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Two men were killed Jan. 21 evening when a large SUV plunged from Studebaker Road into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach.

The crash was reported about 6:20 p.m. Sunday on Studebaker Road south of Loynes Drive, Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Jake Heflin told City News Service.

The vehicle was northbound just south of Loynes Drive when it went into the water, Mr. Heflin said.

Arriving firefighters summoned lifeguards and Urban Search and Rescue divers who pulled a man in his 30s from the water. He was rushed to a hospital while CPR was performed, the captain said. That man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Divers continued to search in and around the SUV and found another man trapped inside, Mr. Heflin said. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s heavy wrecker pulled the vehicle from the water, and that man was pronounced dead at the scene.

It appeared the SUV was the only vehicle involved in the crash, he said.

Studebaker Road was closed in both directions from Second Street to Loynes Drive for the investigation, Mr. Heflin said.