Canal Crash Drowning Victim Identified As Mount Vernon Resident

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Police have released the identity of the 63-year-old Mount Vernon woman who died on June 4, after the car she was driving became submerged in a canal.

Officials have identified the victim as Sandra Fuller, who was the sole occupant of the SUV that plunged into the water near the Fulton Avenue Bridge that spans the canal between Mount Vernon and Pelham Manor. Fuller was in her car at the BJ's gas station on the Pelham Manor side of the water when the vehicle crossed a fence and landed in the water below.

Her gray SUV quickly became submerged in the murky water of the canal.

Rescuers raised the Fulton Avenue Bridge for much of the morning while rescue and recovery were ongoing. (Jeff Edwards)

The resulting rescue efforts, involving fire and law enforcement personnel from Mount Vernon, Pelham Manor and New York City, ultimately proved unsuccessful. Pelham Manor Fire Chief Joseph Ruggiero served as Incident Commander and coordinated the multi-agency response.

Pelham Manor Police Officer John Luiso, one of the first officers to arrive on the scene, jumped into Eastchester Creek and reached the vehicle, but he was unable to remove the driver from the locked car.

"We saw the car sitting there and slowly it was capsizing this way and going down," eyewitness Damien Castori told reporters at the scene. "I'm shaking because you couldn't do anything. You had to just sit here and watch somebody die."

According to officials, Fuller, the lone victim of the crash, was declared dead shortly after rescuers were able to access the submerged SUV. The Pelham Manor police officer who attempted to save the driver of the SUV was also treated at the hospital and has since been released. There were no other reported injuries.