A car drove off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier on Saturday, sending the car sinking into the ocean. At least one person is presumed dead, and recovery efforts are underway.

Witnesses reported seeing the car drive off the pier just before 7 a.m. Virginia Beach resident Kaylynn Crawford heard the car strike one gate and another. The pier is usually closed during the winter months.

“Once they sped up, I was like, ‘Oh no, he’s going to drive off the pier,” Kaylynn told the Virginian-Pilot. She added that the car appeared to slow down right before it went over the edge.

“From the scans that we have, we do believe the vehicle is located at the bottom of the ocean,” Virginia Beach Police Department spokesperson Officer Jude Brenya told WTKR-TV.

Crews are working to figure out how to retrieve the car. Fishermen who use the pier when it’s in season told WTKR-TV that the water is about 15 feet deep at the end of the pier.

Police do not know the driver’s identity or how many people were inside the car, which was entirely submerged when they arrived. Anyone inside the car is presumed dead, VBPD told ABC News.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.