2 men dead in submerged car near Mt. Angel
MOUNT ANGEL, Ore. – Police confirmed Monday two bodies were found in a submerged car in the Pudding River off the Mount Angel-Gervais Highway.
The car left the roadway and plunged into the river around 3:40 p.m., reports Marion County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Don Thompson. Newberg's fire department responded and pulled the completely submerged car out of the water. Two adult male bodies were in the car, police said.
The driver and passenger involved in the fatal crash have been identified, and their families notified by Chaplain Todd Pynch of the Marion County Sheriff's Office Crisis Chaplaincy Services. The driver was 21-year-old Luke Christopher Jackson of Forrest Grove. The passenger was 20-year-old Tyler Ray Libel of Woodburn.
Police said the car was a two-door 1990 Honda Civic. According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses estimated the car was traveling more than 100 miles per hour when it hit a tree before going into the water.
Divers with the Newberg Fire Department found the car in about 12 feet of water with poor visibility. Police said both men were wearing seat belts.
