Police Car Plunges Into Prague River, Jogger Jumps Into Water to Rescue Officers

A police car smashed through a barrier on Prague's Hlávka Bridge on Saturday morning and plunged into the Vltava River. Two officers were inside the vehicle when a passing morning jogger jumped into the cold water to help rescue them.

Surveillance cameras captured the moment the car lost control on wet tram tracks. Investigators are now working to establish why the driver lost control of the vehicle.

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Car Skidded on Wet Tram Tracks

The accident happened at around 8 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Two police officers, a man and a woman aged between 25 and 30, were inside a Škoda Kodiaq police SUV.

Surveillance footage shows the vehicle driving toward the city center with its blue emergency lights activated. The car skidded on the wet tracks, and the driver swerved sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding three other vehicles before crashing into the bridge barrier. The barrier gave way, sending the police car plunging into the river.

Jogger Jumped Into the Cold River

A morning jogger witnessed the crash and did not hesitate to jump into the cold waters of the Vltava to help the officers reach safety. The famous river that flows through Prague is around 14°C (57°F) at this time of year.

According to Czech media reports, a diver helped rescue both officers from the submerged vehicle. Emergency crews and firefighters arrived quickly, bringing boats to the scene. All three people escaped without serious injuries, but they suffered significant hypothermia and were treated before being taken to hospital. A surveillance camera on Hlávka Bridge captured the crash.

Investigation Underway as Police Thank Jogger

The vehicle was later recovered from the river using a mobile crane. Traffic police, the police internal affairs department and the General Inspectorate of Security Forces are investigating what caused the driver to lose control.

Czech police publicly thanked the jogger for his selfless actions in jumping into the Vltava River and helping rescue the two officers.