VENICE, Fla. -- The City of Venice released a dramatic video Tuesday, showing a van slowly sinking in Venice Inlet Monday, taking the life of two people.
According Venice Police Chief Tom Mattmuller, witnesses in Humphris Park at the Venice jetty say that the van drove forward, striking a bench along the waterfront path, then backed up and drove forward again into the waters of the inlet.
The strong outgoing tide began carrying the van towards open water as it slowly sank.
Bystanders jumped into the water in an attempt to help the two people inside the van, but they were unable to get them to exit the vehicle.
The van ended up sinking in the inlet. It was later recovered by rescue divers with the victims' bodies inside.
The victim have been identified as 88-year-old Eugene Hayden and his daughter, 54-year-old Carol Hayden.
The incident is still under investigation.
WARNING: The video below may be disturbing to some
