Two McHenry Township Fire Protection District firefighter-paramedics in swift water rescue gear search a pickup truck that crashed through a guardrail and into the Fox River in the 700 block of South Riverside Drive in McHenry Sunday night. | Photo: MTFPD
A Texas man was arrested after police say he crashed his pickup truck through a guardrail and into the Fox River in McHenry Sunday evening, sending firefighters into the water to search for anyone inside it.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 8:56 p.m. Sunday to the 700 block of South Riverside Drive in McHenry for a report of a vehicle that crashed through a guardrail and into the Fox River.
A McHenry Township Fire Protection District deputy fire chief who was in the area heard the crash happen and called it in over the radio, McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Dave Harwood said.
Harwood said the vehicle had driven off the road and the driver had already taken off from the scene so paramedics never had a patient to evaluate.
Two firefighter-paramedics put on swift water rescue gear and searched the pickup truck, a Dodge Dakota with Texas license plates, to see if anyone was inside, McHenry Township Fire Protection District Fire Chief Steven Spraker said.
No one was found inside the truck, Spraker said.
“While the photo may look unusual, vehicles in the water present serious hazards and require specialized training and equipment to safely investigate,” Spraker said.
Firefighters turned the scene over to police after searching the truck, Harwood said.
Officers arrived and checked the area but the driver had fled the scene, McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Ashley O’Herron said.
The truck was towed from the scene by Rex Towing.
Police were initially unable to reach the truck’s owner but were eventually able to contact him during an investigation, O’Herron said.
The owner, Gary Wildeveld, 30, of Argyle, Texas, called police Monday and came to the McHenry Police Department with his lawyer Tuesday after “some back and forth,” O’Herron said.
O’Herron said Wildeveld was identified and arrested for leaving the scene of an accident.
Wildeveld declined to answer any questions about the cause of the crash, O’Herron said.
It was not immediately known whether Wildeveld would face any additional charges or when he is scheduled to appear in court.
