EDGEWATER, Fla. — A man who Edgewater police said bailed from a stolen car and led officers on a two-hour search by land and air was found dead hours later in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Police said Craig McCollum, 45, of Rutherfordton, North Carolina, was found dead in the water off of North Riverside Drive.
Officers said they tried to pull McCollum over after midnight Thursday after the truck he was driving pinged as stolen. Officers said they deployed Stop Sticks to deflate the truck’s tires after McCollum fled. They said the truck stopped on North Riverside Drive, and McCollum ran from the scene.
The passenger in the truck, Leighann Craig, 23, remained on the scene and was arrested and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, police said.
Police said the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopters assisted in the search for McCollum. After two hours, the search was discontinued.
Around 10:15 a.m., police responded to the same area after someone noticed a body in the water, which was later identified as McCollum.
Police say it’s a male whose body was pulled from the intercoastal. Officers say there was a suspect who fled from police in this area early this morning but detectives aren’t sure if it’s him https://t.co/emOQRKx3vQ
— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) January 16, 2020
The incident remains under investigation.
Body found in the intercoastal near #Edgewater pic.twitter.com/EbiRlMdE4Z
— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) January 16, 2020
This story will be updated as more information becomes known.
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