Latest news with #TowBoatUSVentura
Express Tribune
13-03-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Tesla Cybertruck submerged in Ventura harbor after driver's mistake
Listen to article A Tesla Cybertruck was submerged in the Ventura Harbor on Monday morning after the driver mistakenly reversed into the water. The incident occurred in Ventura, California, when the vehicle, which was thought to be moving forward, accelerated in reverse and rolled down a ramp into the harbor. The Ventura Harbor Patrol unit was conducting routine rounds when they spotted the Cybertruck floating in the water. Captain Carson Shevitz of TowBoatUS Ventura confirmed that by the time the patrol arrived, the truck had sunk approximately 8 feet underwater. Fortunately, the driver was able to escape without injury. 'The operator indicated he thought he was in forward, but he was actually in reverse,' Shevitz explained to SFGATE. 'He accelerated to go up the ramp and went backwards.' Emergency responders, including the Ventura City Fire Department, Ventura Harbor Patrol, US Coast Guard pollution responders, and a game warden from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, were dispatched to the scene. A Tesla field engineer was also on-site to monitor the situation due to concerns over potential fire hazards from the vehicle's lithium-ion batteries. 'Lithium-ion batteries do not do well going underwater,' Shevitz warned, citing the potential risks of an electrical fire. Once deemed safe, TowBoatUS Ventura divers attached a cable to the Cybertruck to pull it out of the water. The vehicle was then towed onto a Redline Towing truck for further removal. Photo: TowBoatUS Ventura This marks the third similar incident involving submerged vehicles in the area in the past year. Both the Ventura Harbor Patrol and Ventura City Fire Department have yet to provide further comments on the incident.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Oh great': Tesla Cybertruck sinks in Ventura Harbor after botched Jet Ski launch
A Tesla Cybertruck took an accidental swim in the Ventura Harbor on Monday, prompting a multi-agency response to carefully retrieve the electric vehicle from the water without sparking a toxic battery fire. Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted in 2022 that the Cybertruck "will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren't too choppy." This truck, however, quickly sank in 8 feet of water, said Carson Shevitz, captain of TowBoatUS Ventura, who helped coordinate the rescue. Ventura Port District Harbor Patrol officers spotted the truck bobbing by the boat launch ramp shortly before 11 a.m. , Shevitz said. The driver told Shevitz that he meant to put the vehicle in drive after launching a Jet Ski but accidentally threw it in reverse, causing it to slide down the ramp and into the water. Shevitz dived into the water himself and attached the front of the submerged vehicle to a tow truck that hauled it ashore. He said he worked with Tesla and fire officials to plan the mission carefully because of the dangers posed by lithium-ion batteries. "When I first heard that it's a Cybertruck, I immediately thought of the batteries," he said. "It wasn't an 'oh cool,' it was an 'oh great,' because there's a lot of unknown things we have to figure out." Fortunately, the truck's electronics did not appear to be severely damaged by the dip. Shevitz's team did not spot any bubbling or hissing — signs that Tesla's engineers warned could indicate the batteries were releasing gas. Damaged lithium-ion batteries are at high risk of catching fire and releasing toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide. Exposure to salt water can also lead to battery failure and potentially start a fire. Once these batteries ignite, they cannot be put out using water and must be left in a secure area to gradually release gas. Read more: Lithium-ion batteries causing fires, dangers on California freeways, sparking calls for safety improvements "Tesla advised that the best thing to do was to set up a perimeter of about 45 feet of defensible space around the vehicle once we pulled it out," Shevitz said. "They sent out a couple field engineers who were able to confirm that the truck was in a safe enough condition to be transported back to their service center." The entire mission took less than two hours and attracted a large response from regional agencies, including the Ventura City Fire Department, Ventura Harbor Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Shevitz said. "It's a rare thing to see, so I'm guessing everyone just wanted to see what was going on," he said. Shevitz said TowBoatUS Ventura frequently responds to calls to rescue damaged boats and, on rare occasions, vehicles. This was the third submerged vehicle his team had helped retrieve in the last 12 months — and definitely the first Cybertruck. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
‘Oh great': Tesla Cybertruck sinks in Ventura Harbor after botched Jet Ski launch
A Tesla Cybertruck took an accidental swim in the Ventura Harbor on Monday, prompting a multi-agency response to carefully retrieve the electric vehicle from the water without sparking a toxic battery fire. Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted in 2022 that the Cybertruck 'will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren't too choppy.' This truck, however, quickly sank in 8 feet of water, said Carson Shevitz, captain of TowBoatUS Ventura, who helped coordinate the rescue. Ventura Port District Harbor Patrol officers spotted the truck bobbing by the boat launch ramp shortly before 11 a.m. , Shevitz said. The driver told Shevitz that he meant to put the vehicle in drive after launching a Jet Ski but accidentally threw it in reverse, causing it to slide down the ramp and into the water. Shevitz dived into the water himself and attached the front of the submerged vehicle to a tow truck that hauled it ashore. He said he worked with Tesla and fire officials to plan the mission carefully because of the dangers posed by lithium-ion batteries. 'When I first heard that it's a Cybertruck, I immediately thought of the batteries,' he said. 'It wasn't an 'oh cool,' it was an 'oh great,' because there's a lot of unknown things we have to figure out.' Fortunately, the truck's electronics did not appear to be severely damaged by the dip. Shevitz's team did not spot any bubbling or hissing — signs that Tesla's engineers warned could indicate the batteries were releasing gas. Damaged lithium-ion batteries are at high risk of catching fire and releasing toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide. Exposure to salt water can also lead to battery failure and potentially start a fire. Once these batteries ignite, they cannot be put out using water and must be left in a secure area to gradually release gas. 'Tesla advised that the best thing to do was to set up a perimeter of about 45 feet of defensible space around the vehicle once we pulled it out,' Shevitz said. 'They sent out a couple field engineers who were able to confirm that the truck was in a safe enough condition to be transported back to their service center.' The entire mission took less than two hours and attracted a large response from regional agencies, including the Ventura City Fire Department, Ventura Harbor Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Shevitz said. 'It's a rare thing to see, so I'm guessing everyone just wanted to see what was going on,' he said. Shevitz said TowBoatUS Ventura frequently responds to calls to rescue damaged boats and, on rare occasions, vehicles. This was the third submerged vehicle his team had helped retrieve in the last 12 months — and definitely the first Cybertruck.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch: Cybertruck sinks in Ventura Harbor, is later towed out
Remember when Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybertruck 'will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat'? Based on what happened in Ventura Monday morning, that statement may be more aspirational than it is based in reality. A Cybertruck ended up submerged in Ventura Harbor when the driver was trying to launch a jet ski, according to reports. 'The driver, a Ventura man, had been offloading a Jet Ski-type personal watercraft … He apparently had meant to drive forward but accidentally put the truck in reverse, backing it into the water,' the Ventura County Star reports. The man was able to get out of the vehicle, though footage from the scene shows it took a contingent of first responders to drag the electric pickup out of the ocean waters. The truck was underwater for almost two hours, though the actual recovery process was only half an hour. 'We purposely did not rush into the response to allow time to research all potential hazards and ensure contingency plans were in place,' Capt. Carson Shevitz, a spokesperson for TowBoatUS Ventura, told the Star. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Coast Guard rescues missing boater, dog near Catalina Island
LOS ANGELES - A missing boater and dog were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard about 18 miles east of Catalina Island Saturday night, according to officials. What we know Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles received a distress call around 8 p.m. from a Good Samaritan aboard a 34-foot sailing vessel. The caller told authorities his friend the friend's dog was missing. The Coast Guard was unable to communicate directly with the vessel, but received information through TowBoat US Ventura. The missing boater was last seen four to five hours prior before reportedly falling asleep. A search and rescue operation was organized and air support request from Coast Guard Sector San Diego, officials said. A Coast Guard helicopter located the issing boater and dog in a dinghy about 1,400 yards from where the Good Samaritan made the distress call. The boater was suffering from mild hypothermia and taken to shore, along with the dog, where they were met by paramedics at the dock. The dinghy and disabled sailing vessel were towed to Newport Beach. What we don't know The identity of the boater and Good Samaritan were not released. It's unclear how the boater's vessel became disabled. The Source Information for this story is from the U.S. Coast Guard.
