UPDATE — The Orleans Parish Coroner positively identified the victim in this incident as 27-year-old William Grant. According to the preliminary autopsy, Grant’s cause of death is listed as drowning. Police are actively investigating this incident to determine why the vehicle ended up in the bayou, and if anyone else was involved.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Police Department was called to the scene of what detectives say was a fatal accident near City Park on Sunday morning.
According to NOPD, officers responded to the intersection of Wisner and Filmore Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Reports say that a resident in the area discovered a black Infinity SUV submerged in Bayou St. John. The NOPD dive team was called to remove the vehicle where they discovered the body of a 27-year-old man in the backseat of the SUV.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene by EMS. There is no word on what led up to the death. The Orleans Parish Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
The coroner’s office will officially identify the victim in this incident upon completion of the autopsy and notification of the victim’s family. Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to call NOPD Traffic Fatality Investigator Mike Baldassaro at 504-658-6030.
