A Freehold woman drove her silver Toyota into Deal Lake this evening, but police officers and bystanders pulled her out of the vehicle and the water within minutes.
Shannon Conlon, 36, was driving north on Kingsley Avenue just after 5 p.m., according to fire department public information officer Garrett M. Giberson. Instead of turning left or right on Deal Lake Drive, she continued to drive straight, Giberson said, although Kinglsey Avenue ends at the lake. Her car flipped on the sidewalk then fell into Deal Lake, he said.
Bystanders said within minutes, police and passersby were in the water trying to extract Conlon from the car. She was taken out of the car and transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center, Giberson said.
“She was very startled and shaken up,” Giberson said.
Marquise Taylor, of Asbury Park, witnessed the accident. He said an unmarked police car had been following Conlon’s Toyota with its red and blue lights flashing in the minutes leading up to the accident. He also said Conlon hit a street sign near the lake before crashing into the water.
The water in the southeast end of Deal Lake is about 4 and a half feet deep, Giberson said. It is not unheard of for a car to drive into the lake. A similar incident occurred several years ago, and also more recently at Sunset Lake within the last year.
Members of the police and fire departments were on the scene while the empty car was being towed out of the water. The fire department performs water rescue duties for all three of the city’s lakes, as well as for the beach when lifeguards are not on duty.
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