Pittsburgh Woman Dies After SUV Plunges Off Parkway East Into Monongahela River

 ITTSBURGH, PA — A tragic accident claimed the life of 31‑year‑old Jacinta Stevens, a Pittsburgh resident from the city’s West End, after her SUV plunged off Interstate 376 and into the icy Monongahela River Thursday afternoon.

According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, emergency crews were called around 4:30 p.m. on January 29 to Second Avenue, between the 10th Street and Birmingham bridges near UPMC Mercy, after reports of a vehicle in the river below the Parkway East.

State police said Stevens was driving a Ford Explorer outbound on I‑376 when she lost control near mile marker 73, crossed multiple lanes of traffic, struck a snowbank on the berm, and went over a concrete barrier — plunging more than 100 feet into the river.

Dive teams entered the frigid water around 5:20 p.m. and removed Stevens from the submerged vehicle about 25 minutes later using a rope system and Stokes basket, according to Pittsburgh EMS officials. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead later that night. Investigators estimate Stevens was submerged for 40 to 60 minutes before being recovered. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Stevens was employed by the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP). In a statement, Michelle Sandidge, HACP’s chief community affairs officer, said: “The HACP staff is in a state of shock and grief. We send our collective prayers out to her family, and we ask everyone for patience as the details of this sad and tragic accident unfold.”

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