A man whose pickup truck crashed into a retention pond in Port Orange died Friday, police said.
- Pickup crashed into retention pond; man died
- Several people, officer jumped into pond to help man
- Herbert Lantz, 79, did not survive, according to police
Port Orange Police responded at 1:21 p.m. to a pond just south of the intersection of Spruce Creek and Nova roads.
A 2002 Ford Ranger pickup truck was underwater when police arrived.
Several people, including a Port Orange Police officer, jumped into the pond to help.
"I turned back around and nobody is jumping in the water," witness David Brown said. "And I am like, 'It's time to go in!' I had to. I had to jump in. No one was in there yet. When I jumped in, it gave people the notion to jump in and that this is serious, you know? We tried pulling on the doors, we tried pulling on everything. I am trying to smash stuff."
Brown said he was finally able to get a door open but wasn't able to rescue the man he said was trapped inside the pickup truck.
Herbert Lantz, 79, died, police said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Port Orange Police Officer Jesse Pierson at 386-506-5838.