Divers locate vehicle, recover body from Columbia River near Glenn Jackson Bridge

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Local News Editor

Published: February 17, 2021, 8:39pm

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office searches the Columbia River near the Interstate 205 bridge for a vehicle that may have gone in the water on Sunday. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

Rescue divers searching the Columbia River where they believe a motorist went off the Glenn Jackson Bridge on Sunday say they’ve located a vehicle and recovered a body.

The Portland Police Bureau did not identify the type of vehicle found or the identity of the person whose body was recovered. The agency said the medical examiner will confirm the identity, and investigators will notify family.

However, the family of Antonio Amaro Lopez have said they believe it was his SUV that lost control and went over the side of the bridge. The Southeast Portland man had left his job at his family’s Hazel Dell restaurant at about 5 p.m. to drive home, according to The Oregonian.

Witnesses said they saw a maroon SUV traveling south go over the side of the span that connects Oregon and Washington.

The Oregonian reported that Kelly Brown, an extended family member of Amaro Lopez, said he was drivng a 2006 maroon Subaru Tribeca and had just called his wife to let her know he was on his way home. He never arrived, though.

The Multnomah County, Ore., Sheriff’s Office River Patrol Unit deputies had been conducting sonar scans on the Columbia River under the bridge, according to Portland police.

Amaro Lopez’s family held a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening along the Columbia River.