Kayaker discovers submerged car and dead driver in NJ canal

FRANKLIN (Somerset) — Somerset County authorities are investigating a deadly crash that involved a car in a canal over the weekend.

The prosecutor’s office said that on Saturday, August 24, just before 12:30 p.m., township police received a report from a kayaker who spotted a car submerged in the Delaware Raritan Canal near Canal and Grouser roads.

Officers found damage to the guardrails and several trees when they arrived, and saw the car underwater.

Dive team members from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office found one person inside the sunken car, identified as a 31-year-old man from Skillman. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said the 2024 Honda Civic had been traveling west on Grouser Road. The road ends at Canal Road, which runs alongside the D&R Canal, requiring westbound vehicles to turn right or left.

For some reason, the driver did not stop at the intersection, struck the guardrails along the canal and went airborne into the water. According to investigators, the car had struck several road signs and a tree before landing in the canal.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The vehicle was removed from the canal and taken to a towing and recovery company.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office or the Franklin Township Police Department.