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Van Plunges into Central Park Pond

By DNAinfo Staff on August 6, 2011 2:58pm  | Updated on August 6, 2011 4:52pm

A van drove into Harlem Meer, near 106th Street and East Drive, on Aug. 6, 2011.
A van drove into Harlem Meer, near 106th Street and East Drive, on Aug. 6, 2011.
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DNAinfo/Patrick Wall

By Patrick Wall and Tom Liddy

DNAinfo

HARLEM - A van plunged into Harlem Meer in Central Park Saturday afternoon, fire officials said.

It was not clear why the green van drove into the water near 106th Street and East Drive, around 12:30 p.m.

Scott Jefferson, a lifeguard at nearby Lasker Pool, said that he had just gotten coffee at a deli when he saw the accident unfold.

"I'm right where the road is and I see this guy do a U-turn and gun it," he told DNAinfo.

The van careened down a path, tore through a wire fence and then slammed into the water, becoming partially submerged.

"Bam! He hit the water with such force that it bent the hood," said Jefferson, who called 911.

At that point, the driver opened the front door and waded through the mud. "This Good Samaritan woman waded in and walked him out," said the lifeguard.

At that point, Jefferson sprang into action, joining rescuers in the search for anyone else who was stuck in the van, but they found nothing except a car loaded with junk.

By that time, the driver had been pulled onto the shore and was given a neck brace while firefighters in scuba gear searched the water, according to witness Meg Karalis, 45, of Morningside Heights.

No one was found in the water, according to the FDNY.

"He looked like he was in shock," she said of the driver. "It was incredible, the number of people on the scene."

The driver was taken to a hospital, along with a firefighter for minor injuries.

Jefferson said that he heard the driver telling cops that he had dropped his girlfriend and dog off prior to the crash. But rescuers conducted a search just to be sure.

It was not immediately clear if there was criminality in the incident.