A 30-year-old West Palm Beach police officer died early Sunday morning after his car crashed into a canal along North Congress Avenue, according to police spokesman Mike Jachles.
At 5:21 a.m. on April 14, a 911 caller reported seeing a car go into the canal off Congress Avenue just south of Lombard Street. Another 911 caller said they saw the car upside down in the water with no one getting out.
Officers arrived within minutes, went into the water, and brought the driver of the 2017 Ford Fusion to shore. They immediately began CPR and West Palm Beach Fire Rescue paramedics took him to St. Mary’s Medical Center in critical condition. The driver, identified as Joshua Tyree Ballesteros, 30, of West Palm Beach, died later Sunday at the hospital.
Traffic homicide investigators determined that the Ford Fusion was northbound on Congress Avenue when, for reasons unknown, it ran off the road and struck a guardrail before hitting a tree, rolling over, and landing in the canal upside down. Southbound Congress Avenue was shut down for several hours while investigators conducted the on-scene investigation, and the car was removed from the canal.
Adam Myers, president of the West Palm Beach Fraternal Order of Police, released a statement on social media:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our colleague and friend, Officer Joshua Ballesteros, who passed away this morning, April 14th, 2024, as the result of an off-duty traffic crash. May the Lord be with all those who love him and will suffer the void he leaves as they traverse this season of grief.”
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Source: Wpbf
