Vehicle submerged in Lake Ontario near Greater Napanee after attempted traffic stop, no word on occupants

An undated photo of an Ontario SIU forensic vehicle. (File Photo/CTV News)

Ontario’s police watchdog has invoked its mandate to investigate after a vehicle ended up in Lake Ontario following an attempted Ontario Provincial Police traffic stop near Napanee.

According to the OPP, an officer from the Lennox and Addington detachment attempted to stop a driver on Bath Road, at around 10:55 p.m. Tuesday. Shortly after, the vehicle entered a ditch and then went into Lake Ontario, where it became submerged, a news release said.

Police said it’s not known how many people were in the vehicle at the time.

“Several resources, including the Prince Edward County OPP Marine Unit, OPP Aviation Services, the OPP East Region Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement Team, the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, were deployed and continue efforts to locate any possible occupants,” the OPP said in a news release.

Highway 33 is currently closed at County Road 21, west of Bath, Ont., in Greater Napanee, as the on-scene investigation continues.

Police said the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has invoked its mandate. A spokesperson for the SIU says one investigator, a collision reconstructionist, and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case at this time.

The SIU says the vehicle went into the water near Highway 33 and County Road 21, near Ontario Power Generation’s Lennox Generating Station. The OPP says workers at the plant are allowed to pass though the closure to access the facility.

Anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, is asked to contact the SIU’s lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at: https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

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