Witnesses help after car lands in water

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - The Halls were at home in pajamas getting ready for bed when they were startled by noises just before midnight.

Taraleigh Halls told WAVY.com "I heard a big rush of air. Instantly I heard a boom and all the power was out." 

She and her husband Scott went outside to see what happened. 

"The rear of the car caught on the guidelines and it spun it at a 90-degree angle and rolled over several times and landed in about 40 feet out there," Scott said.

The Halls saw a car in the river at the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and Bayview Boulevard, and rushed over to see a man who told them there was someone in the vehicle.  They jumped into the water to try and help.

"We literally risked our lives. (Scott) doesn't swim and then he got in the car and opened it and started pulling the seats out. It's dark down there. This is a big object that's wet and heavy. I thought it was a body," she said.

Police arrived and searched as well but nothing turned up. Police say the car was one described to them as being involved in two earlier hit and runs.

"There was never a police chase," said Jan Westerbeck, a spokesperson for the Portsmouth Police Department. "Before the police officers got to those scenes that vehicle had already fled and ended up in the water, possibly trying to manipulate a turn from Mount Vernon Avenue onto Bayview Boulevard."

A man was detained but police said so far there has been no arrest, as a strategic traffic unit continues to investigate.

The Halls lost their cell phones while in the water, and say they had to receive tetanus shots after getting cuts and scrapes.