A 74-year-old man from New York state accidentally drove his car into Belfast Harbor on Sunday evening, police said.
William Haley meant to turn into the parking lot of the Weathervane restaurant but instead drove down a boat launch and into the water around 6 p.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Matthew Cook.
When Haley realized what was happening, he yelled for help, Cook said. That’s when Ron Stevens, 68, of Rhode Island jumped into the water and helped Haley get out of his 2010 Volkswagen station wagon through the hatchback but before the car became submerged.
Both men, who did not previously know each other, were treated for low core temperature at a local hospital and released, Cook said.
He said police do not suspect Haley was driving impaired. He said it was misting and raining lightly at the time of the accident.
The car was towed out of the water within 15 minutes.
An elderly Searsport woman made the same mistake during a rainstorm last fall and was pulled from her car into a dinghy, uninjured.
Before that, Cook said, it had been about 10 years since someone accidentally drove into the harbor.
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