SANTA CRUZ- Around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, a car of two crashed through a four foot railing and flew off of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf into the water below.

One bystander, Tyler Groch of Newark, said he saw a crash that caused the car to plunge into the ocean. Groch said that before plunging into the water, the white sedan almost struck a family of four. After almost hitting pedestrians, the car teetered on the west side of the wharf before going into the water. Groch said that the car went into the water with its windows open. “We thought he was parking, but he kept going."

They then drove through an 8 inch parking block, a four foot railing and plummeted into 20 feet of sea water.

Mike Ditano, Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief, said it was not clear what caused the driver to drive off the wharf.

The crash was located between the Santa Cruz Lifeguard Headquarters and the first business on that side of the wharf which sells shaved ice.

Santa Cruz Fire Lifeguards attempted to rescue both of the people, but as of 9:45 p.m. it was unclear if either of them had lived. The lifeguards dove in with wetsuits and swim fins after a large crowd gathered shining light into the ocean below.

"People on the wharf were shining lights into the water and they said it was a car, and I said 'Oh my God'," said Mara Torres of Felton. Torres had parked right next to the crash.

Lifeguards pulled a man to the surface and swam him to the beach using a paddle board. The lifeguards brought the man to Cowell Beach around 8:55 p.m., Ditano said. Lifeguards then began CPR and the man was transported to Dominican Hospital by ambulance.

Minutes later, at approximately 8:59 p.m., lifeguards brought a second person up and paddled the person to a Coast Guard boat, which went to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. The person was transported to Dominican Hospital by ambulance, just like the first man.