The incident began in Hartford County on Tuesday, Nov. 21 around midnight, when a suicidal man's pinging phone led police to the South River Street boat launch in Enfield.
According to Enfield Police, arriving officers began talking with the 63-year-old Plainville resident and attempted to negotiate with him. He appeared to be intoxicated, police said.
After a short amount of time, the man abruptly drove his truck into the river at high speed as officers were trying to get him out of the truck. He had belted himself in and stared at officers as his truck was submerged in the river, according to the department.
Rescue and recovery services, including State Police and Tolland County Dive Services, were then summonsed to the location. A few hours later, around 3:30 a.m., divers found the man belted in the submerged vehicle, which was around 50 feet from the shore and in 15 feet of water. He was pronounced dead, police said.
Enfield Police are now conducting a follow-up investigation into the man's death along with the Plainville Police Department. The man's name was not released by the department.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.