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Abandoned U-Haul left on Hoan Bridge prompts dive team search in Milwaukee River

Posted at 11:18 AM, Jan 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-08 13:08:30-05

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Dive Team was called to the Hoan Bridge early Monday morning after a U-Haul was spotted parked on the shoulder.

A Wisconsin Department of Transportation camera detected a driver parking the U-Haul on the bridge just before 4 a.m.

"The DOT camera showed the vehicle arriving, but did not show anyone walking away from the vehicle or anyone else picking the driver up," said Battalion Chief Sean Slowey.

Investigators say the engine of the U-Haul was still running, and a man's winter coat was found inside.

Search and rescue efforts started just after 4 a.m. and lasted for about two hours. Crews did not find anyone. 

"The water is cold but the issue we had, the large amounts of broken ice chunks now that we have warmer weather. Those chunks are flowing down the river striking the dive boats while they're trying to dive," said Slowey.

Since the U-Haul was rented, authorities weren't able to identify the driver. Investigators are now reaching out to U-Haul to find out who rented the truck.