Norfolk officer rescues woman from car submerged in sinkhole

Norfolk Police Officer A.J. Stevenson jumped into a water-filled sinkhole and pulled a trapped woman from her car after the vehicle dropped into the hole near downtown Norfolk, where a broken water main had already turned a busy stretch of roadway into an emergency scene.

The rescue unfolded around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, 2026, near the bottom of the Interstate 264 West exit ramp onto East City Hall Avenue. Police said the sinkhole was tied to a water main break, and the car became partially submerged before Stevenson reached the driver and got her out. No additional injuries were reported.

Witnesses said the car door opened with the driver’s side under water, and that officers could not reach the woman until Stevenson went into the sinkhole and pulled her free. Stevenson later said he immediately knew he had to get her out and credited bystanders for helping the rescue happen quickly.

The driver’s family said she remained shaken up after the ordeal. The collapse left a section of East City Hall Avenue closed at least through Thursday, June 25, as city crews kept working on repairs. City officials expected the roadway segment to reopen by Friday, June 26.

The episode drew attention because it happened in downtown Norfolk, a city below sea level that has long faced pressure from flooding, drainage failures and aging underground infrastructure. A sinkhole opening in the middle of the day near a major exit ramp turned an ordinary traffic corridor into a hazard zone and underscored how quickly a water main failure can destabilize pavement and swallow a vehicle.

The affected stretch of road sat close to one of the city’s busiest connectors, where Interstate 264 traffic feeds into East City Hall Avenue. The closure and repair work placed the burden on the city’s infrastructure system as crews moved to restore the roadway and stabilize the damaged area.

For Norfolk, the rescue was a dramatic display of police response. It was also another reminder that in a city built around water, the next breakdown beneath the surface can become a public-safety emergency in seconds.