Crime & Safety

Witness: Area Man is Dead After Driving into Pond Early Thursday

According to witnesses, an 80-year-old man is dead after being pulled from a pond on the 1500 block of Courtland Avenue in Arlington Heights.

Written by Patch Editors Morgan Delack and Melanie Santostefano 

According to witnesses on the scene of the incident, an 80-year-old man has been killed after driving his SUV into an Arlington Heights pond.

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Brian Kelly, a resident of Arlington on the Pond in Arlington Heights, said he and his neighbors were awoken at 7 a.m. by a loud noise and the smell of smoke. Kelly said it appears the man hit a support pole under a balcony in the condominium complex, in addition to an electrical unit with his vehicle before driving it into the pond in the 1500 block of Courtland Avenue. 

Kelly saw rescue workers drag the vehicle slightly out of the water around 7:40 a.m. and smash the windows in order to pull the victim out. He was then immediately covered with a white sheet, Kelly said.  A camera was placed into the water to check for additional victims, Kelly told Patch.

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Due to the electrical unit being struck by the vehicle, power is out on the west side of Courtland Avenue. ComEd crews are on the scene trying to restore power as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday. 


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