Local
Taunton Man, 24, Killed After Car Plunges into Threemile River; Dive Teams Search for Second Occupant
Alec Ardita, 24, of Taunton was pronounced dead after his white Nissan Maxima was pulled from the Threemile River late Monday night. Authorities believe a second person was in the car and resumed searching the water at daybreak Tuesday.
TAUNTON â A 24-year-old Taunton man is dead and authorities are searching for a possible second occupant after a car left a city roadway, struck a utility pole and guardrail, and plunged into the Threemile River late Monday night.
The Bristol County District Attorney's Office identified the victim as Alec Ardita of Taunton. He was the only person found inside the submerged white Nissan Maxima when divers located the vehicle, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Taunton police received a 911 call around 10:15 p.m. reporting that a car was speeding near the intersection of North Walker and Winthrop streets. According to the district attorney's office, the vehicle hit the pole and guardrail before leaving the roadway and entering the river at 396 Winthrop St.
Officers responded alongside the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council dive team and Massachusetts State Police detectives. Investigators determined that a second person was likely inside the car at the time of the crash, prompting an expanded search of the surrounding waters.
The dive team called off its efforts overnight as water conditions deteriorated, and the search was expected to resume after daylight Tuesday. Authorities have not released further details, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.
The crash site sits along a stretch of Winthrop Street near the Threemile River, a waterway that runs through the city's densely settled neighborhoods. The circumstances that led the car to leave the road â including speed and any other contributing factors â remain under investigation.
Anyone with information about the crash or the second possible occupant is urged to contact Taunton police or Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.