Latest news with #FredyChavezSanchez
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Alligators hamper teenager's rescue in fatal Florida crash
Efforts to rescue a teenager who drove off a bridge and plunged into a murky canal in southwest Florida were hampered by two dangerous obstacles: a pair of large alligators. Police and fire rescue workers responded to the crash in Venice, Florida, June 22 and found a red Ford Ranger submerged with one person trapped inside. Rescue swimmers entered the water and found the person, but because the alligators were seen lurking in the water near the car, the swimmers were recalled and a dive team brought in. After Florida Fish and Wildlife officials removed the predators, the man, identified as 19-year-old Fredy Chavez Sanchez, was pronounced dead. Officials have not yet released the cause of death. The alligators measured 7 feet, 9 inches and 7 feet, 7 inches, respectively, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife. Police say the car was speeding when it swerved off the road, struck a pole and dove into the canal. The investigation is still ongoing. A GoFundMe campaign for Chavez's family said he died instantly. Chavez, who recently graduated from high school, was originally from Guatemala, according to the fundraiser. An estimated 1.3 million alligators ranging in size from roughly three to 13 feet live in Florida, but they rarely attack people for reasons other than food, according to the FWC. Two people so far in 2025 have been bitten by alligators in Florida, including one person who died, according to FWC data through May. In 2024, 11 people in Florida were bitten by alligators, but the state did not record any deaths. Since 1948, the agency says 453 alligator "bite incidents" have occurred, with 26 resulting in death. Alligator bites are mostly likely to happen near water, the agency says. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Alligators delay rescue of Florida teen after fatal crash
USA Today
25-06-2025
- USA Today
Alligators hamper teenager's rescue in fatal Florida crash
Two large alligators prevented workers from reaching a teenager who drove off bridge in Venice, Florida. Efforts to rescue a teenager who drove off a bridge and plunged into a murky canal in southwest Florida were hampered by two dangerous obstacles: a pair of large alligators. Police and fire rescue workers responded to the crash in Venice, Florida, June 22 and found a red Ford Ranger submerged with one person trapped inside. Rescue swimmers entered the water and found the person, but because the alligators were seen lurking in the water near the car, the swimmers were recalled and a dive team brought in. After Florida Fish and Wildlife officials removed the predators, the man, identified as 19-year-old Fredy Chavez Sanchez, was pronounced dead. Officials have not yet released the cause of death. The alligators measured 7 feet, 9 inches and 7 feet, 7 inches, respectively, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife. Police say the car was speeding when it swerved off the road, struck a pole and dove into the canal. The investigation is still ongoing. A GoFundMe campaign for Chavez's family said he died instantly. Chavez, who recently graduated from high school, was originally from Guatemala, according to the fundraiser. How common are alligator attacks? An estimated 1.3 million alligators ranging in size from roughly three to 13 feet live in Florida, but they rarely attack people for reasons other than food, according to the FWC. Two people so far in 2025 have been bitten by alligators in Florida, including one person who died, according to FWC data through May. In 2024, 11 people in Florida were bitten by alligators, but the state did not record any deaths. Since 1948, the agency says 453 alligator "bite incidents" have occurred, with 26 resulting in death. Alligator bites are mostly likely to happen near water, the agency says.
CBS News
23-06-2025
- CBS News
Alligators delayed rescue in fatal Florida canal crash that killed 19-year-old driver, police said
A 19-year-old driver was found dead Sunday morning after his vehicle left the roadway and submerged in a southwest Florida canal, but responding divers were initially kept from reaching the vehicle due to large alligators, according to the Venice Police Department. Venice Police and Fire Rescue units responded at 6:52 a.m. on June 22 to the area of Ranch Road and Rustic Road, where a vehicle was reported submerged in the Cow Pen Slough Canal. Rescue swimmers located the vehicle but were recalled due to environmental hazards, including fluids and alligators, police said. Evidence suggests speed was a factor According to the Venice Police Department, evidence indicated the red Ford Ranger had been traveling westbound on Rustic Road at a high rate of speed before it struck a Florida Power & Light Company pole and came to rest upside down in the canal. Divers were unable to approach the vehicle until Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) trappers removed two large alligators from the area. The alligators measured 7 feet, 9 inches and 7 feet, 7 inches, according to FWC officials. Victim identified, investigation ongoing Once the area was secured, Venice divers, assisted by Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Special Operations, assessed the vehicle and confirmed the presence of one entrapped deceased male. The victim was identified as Fredy Chavez Sanchez, 19. His next of kin has been notified, authorities said. The cause of death has not been released and the investigation is ongoing. Chavez was from Guatemala, according to a fundraising campaign, and had recently graduated from high school.
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Large gators keep rescuers away from driver in submerged truck, Florida cops say
Large alligators kept rescuer divers from reaching a pickup truck that plunged off a bridge and vanished in a canal, according to police in southwest Florida. The single-vehicle crash happened just before 7 a.m. Sunday, June 22, in the murky Cow Pen Slough Canal in Venice, the Venice Police Department reported in a news release. A cause of death for the driver, Fredy Chavez Sanchez, 19, has not been released, but rescue swimmers initially were not able to reach him due to menacing alligators, officials said. The divers stayed clear of the truck until after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent trappers to catch the alligators, police said. 'Evidence indicates a red Ford Ranger was traveling westbound on Rustic Road at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway, striking (a Florida Power & Light Company) pole, and coming to rest inverted in the canal,' police said. 'After FWC removed two large alligators from the area, Venice divers assisted by Sarasota County (FL) Sheriff's Office Special Ops conducted an assessment of the vehicle, confirming one entrapped deceased male.' A fundraising campaign for Chavez said he died at the scene. Chavez was from Guatemala and recently graduated from high school with plans to attend college, a relative reported. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. Venice is about a 70-mile drive south from Tampa.
