Body found in Schuylkill believed to be car crash victim

Update 5:15 p.m. Philadelphia Police have found a body in the Schuylkill near the scene of Thursday’s car crash in the river.

Lt. Raymond Evers says police believe the body is that of the crash victim but cannot yet confirm the identity of the woman.

“It may be her,” Evers said. “We’ll know more in two to three hours.”

Evers says the body was discovered near Kelly Drive and Hunting Park Avenue at 4 p.m. this afternoon by pedestrians walking along the river.

The woman, who is believed to be in her mid-40s, went missing in the Schuylkill on Thursday afternoon after her car plunged into the river at the intersection of Kelly Drive and Ferry Road in East Falls.

The Police Marine Unit had been using sonar footage since then to try to locate the woman. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, according to police.

The car was traveling southbound on Ferry Road when it ran into a wall along the riverbank at a very high speed and crashed into the river. Witnesses said they saw the victim near the third bridge pillar screaming for help before she was swept downstream and disappeared.

Search crews retrieved the victim’s car from the river Thursday night with a crane.