New York Mother Drives Minivan Into Hudson River, Killing 3 Kids and Self
April 13, 2011— -- A New York woman and her three children died after their minivan plunged into the Hudson River in Newburgh, N.Y., Tuesday night after a domestic dispute, authorities said.
Divers found the woman's body and her children -- a 5-year-old boy, 2-year-old boy and an 11-month-old girl -- in the submerged van 25 yards offshore from a boat ramp in Newburgh, 60 miles north of New York City.
Another child, a 10-year-old boy was let out of the van before it plunged into the river, authorities said.
The boy alerted authorities at a nearby firehouse and told them what happened, the Associated Press reported.
"It's a horrible sight, all of them in the car," Newburgh Police Chief Michael Ferrara told the Times Herald-Record newspaper.
Ferrara told the Times Herald-Record that fatal incident might be connected to domestic dispute call earlier in the evening.
When police arrived at the home of dispute call, no one responded, the newspaper reported.
About 10 minutes later, the 10-year-old boy appeared at the fire station.
Authorities have not released the identities of the woman or her children.
A news conference is scheduled for later this morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
