A Navy Rescue Swimmer Happened to Be at a Seafood Restaurant When an SUV Crashed Into the Water

On January 16, 2026, an SUV drove off the boat ramp area behind Bubba's Seafood Restaurant and Crabhouse on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach and began sinking rapidly into the waterway.

The driver was trapped inside as water flooded the vehicle and the doors could not be opened. Bystanders at the nearby restaurants immediately responded, rushing toward the water and attempting to break the SUV's windows.

Among the group of strangers was Jeremy Way, a 17-year Navy veteran and aviation rescue swimmer who happened to be eating lunch at Bubba's. Way later told reporters: "I had already started pulling my wallet, my phone, my knife, out of my pocket, and once I realized that the car was about 15 meters in, I was like... I just jumped in."

Four people ultimately entered the water and worked together to smash through the vehicle's rear windshield and free the driver. As the woman came through the broken window, Way put her in a cross-chest carry - the standard rescue swimming technique he had practiced for nearly two decades in the Navy - and swam her to the nearby pylons.

The SUV sank completely beneath the surface moments after the woman was extracted.

Way's Navy rescue swimmer motto is "So Others May Live," and he referenced it directly after the incident. "I got out to get some lunch, it was meant to be man. I'm an aviation rescue swimmer, this was... I was here for a reason. So others may live. It's our motto," Way told local news.

The driver and two of the rescuers were taken to the hospital with non-serious injuries. Way himself injured his hand during the rescue.

What is a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer?

Navy aviation rescue swimmers are specially trained personnel who deploy from helicopters to rescue people in distress at sea. The training is considered one of the most physically demanding programs in the military, with a washout rate of around 50%. Rescue swimmers must maintain peak physical condition and regularly practice water rescue techniques including the cross-chest carry that Way used during this incident.

The cross-chest carry involves approaching the victim from behind, wrapping one arm across their chest, and swimming them to safety while keeping their head above water. It is designed for rescuing conscious or unconscious victims in open water conditions.