Found Deceased CA - John Wooner, 57, city manager, Bakersfield, 14 May 2019

[crhedBngr]

I just went up and down Route 178 through the canyon on Google street level and there is no barrier between the side of the two lane road and the river. So easy to leave the road and land in the river in most of the length.

KCSO: Car found submerged in Kern River

The camera shot in the above-linked article looked to be very high. I wonder if the vehicle tumbled a long way down and then flipped somehow?

I can't tell from the video segment.

JMVHO.

 

[Rosiebones]

Although it may take a considerable length of time to recover the vehicle, they should be able to get the license plate number fairly quickly and check that for identification.
I wouldn't think a person on his size would be thrown from the vehicle very easily.

 

[mojave_red]

This article says that there are no plates on the vehicle, and also indicates that the vehicle is occupied and the coroner is in route.
Bakersfield Californian website: https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/emergency-crews-attempt-to-recover-vehicle-in-kern-river?

 

[missarmchair]

It sure looks like the same SUV John was driving
23ABC Bakersfield

 

[CluelessWonder]

There are ribbed strips along the roof of the vehicle, and that matches up with the Durango. The backseat window of the passenger side has an angle to it. That also matches the Durango. The back window comes to a very sharp point. That's also the Durango look. Many SUVs have similar windows, but most are more rounded corners. I can't believe how mangled the front of that vehicle is. It appears that it may have rolled a few times.

 

[Rosiebones]

I wonder why it would have no plates. Its not like they would come off in a roll into the river accident. They have to be taken off. Does California have front and back plates?

 

[missarmchair]

I wonder why it would have no plates. Its not like they would come off in a roll into the river accident. They have to be taken off. Does California have front and back plates?

Yes we have both, it's illegal here to not have a front plate. However, lots of people break that rule.

 

[missarmchair]

I wonder why it would have no plates. Its not like they would come off in a roll into the river accident. They have to be taken off. Does California have front and back plates?

If this is him, the plates being taken off scream FOUL PLAY, right? What good would it do a suicidal person to remove the plates from their car in this situation? Hmm

 

[CluelessWonder]

I think the plates would come off very quickly in a crash. From the looks of that roadway, the car might have ramped over the rocky edge of the road. That would explain the front end damage. But I'm surprised there was no debris to tip off police that a car had crashed in that spot.

 

[ElementalLaura]

There’s not much left of the front and rear bumpers. I’m not surprised the plates are missing.

 

[rosesfromangels]

This is similar to the Lisa Harvey crash. I think we all know the outcome here, and many of us all along.

Prayers for the family.

 

[Rosiebones]

The newsclip shows the front hood gone, the windshield gone but the top is not dented and the front end does not look pushed in like it would if it flipped end over end into the river. I would also think the top would be dented and it doesn't appear to be.
It doesn't appear to have rolled over and over on it side.

 

[CluelessWonder]

The newsclip shows the front hood gone, the windshield gone but the top is not dented and the front end does not look pushed in like it would if it flipped end over end into the river. I would also think the top would be dented and it doesn't appear to be.
It doesn't appear to have rolled over and over on it side.

Those are good points. Like you say, the roof is fairly intact. I didn't see the rear. The front is very banged up but not mashed in. It appears that the driver's side might have impacted with something. I guess we'll know more soon.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Those are good points. Like you say, the roof is fairly intact. I didn't see the rear. The front is very banged up but not mashed in. It appears that the driver's side might have impacted with something. I guess we'll know more soon.

Is that area known for accidents with deer or wandering livestock? One would think if there had of been impact with a large animal there would be a corresponding animal control record; perhaps there is?

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[CluelessWonder]

In a video, a police officer said there are occasional plunges into the river along that area. Most are a result of drunk drivers or people unfamiliar with the road. Other possibilities include a tire blowout, a person falling asleep at the wheel, a medical episode, etc. I am with those who think John might have suffered a cardiac arrest or something like it.

 

[TravelingBug]

This site is now updated as of just under 2 hours ago to now say it's specifically a silver Dodge SUV and that the body is that of a male. (The video is from much earlier, so it's the text that's updated)

California Highway Patrol officials said a body of a man was found inside a silver Dodge SUV submerged in the Kern River.

CHP: Dead man found inside silver Dodge SUV in Kern River

 

[Knox]

On Saturday afternoon, California Highway Patrol's Bakersfield Communications Center received a call of a vehicle that had gone down the embankment and fully submerged in water on Highway 178 inside the Kern River Canyon area.

CHP officers responded and called for the Kern County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team. At about 11 a.m. Sunday morning, the team recovered a silver Dodge SUV from the Kern River with a deceased male body inside.

A preliminary investigation of the crash revealed the driver was traveling at an unknown speed in an unknown direction. The driver made an unsafe turn and the vehicle left the roadway and went down the embankment and into the Kern River.

The crash remains under investigation and the identity of the driver will be released through the Kern County Coroner’s Office.
PUBLIC SAFETY: SUV with deceased male recovered from Kern River

 

[TravelingBug]

And another confirming the same, but just in case people wonder why it was just now seen:

On Saturday, a sergeant on scene reported that the vehicle has been in the water for a while and is visible now only because water levels have dropped about three feet in the last week.

SUV similar to missing man John Wooner’s pulled from river

 

[Knox]

Wow, he's been there the whole time! I thought I've seen other stories of cars in the river at that location.

Car pulled out of Kern River belongs to missing woman
Second car found in Kern River

 

[cindizzle]

According to this article, the location of the Kern River where the SUV was found is 11ish miles from the cemetery JW visited before he disappeared.
SUV similar to missing McFarland’s City Manager’s pulled from river