Article Updated 11.00 pm 15th April 2025
Yesterday (Monday, 14 April 2025), at around 4.00 pm, tragedy struck at the popular fishing spot next to the Greenwich Sailing Club at Manns Place, Greenwich, when an 86-year-old Ahmed Dunia car hit a fence and plunged into the river.
As the car accelerated, it hit his 74-year-old wife Halima Dunia setting up fishing gear; her esky was on the bench near the fence. She was knocked into the water.
The 74-year-old woman was rescued by a passerby who jumped from a ledge into the water (believed to be about a five-metre drop). Another passerby assisted the rescuer, who took the woman to a nearby vessel. She was lifted into the boat, transferred to the shore, and treated by ambulance paramedics. She was taken to North Shore Hospital with bruising, abrasions, a suspected broken ankle, and shock.
Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command, Marine Area Command, Fire and Rescue NSW, and one of the NSW Maritime vessels attended the scene.
Police divers were called in to search for the man and the car.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry from Fire and Rescue NSW told ITC that witnesses had said that the vehicle with the 86-year-old man then sank very quickly. He also said the vehicle had sunk before the emergency services crew arrived at the Greenwich Sailing Club.
Following an intensive search operation, at about 6.30 pm, police recovered the body of the 86-year-old man from the river.
A crime scene was established, and police investigated the incident.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Superintendent Adam Dewsbury also told ITC that he spoke to the person who rescued the woman and noted how brave he was to jump 5m into the water to perform the rescue. He said he was a courageous and humble man. The police later revealed it was a 55 year old tradie who will be recommended for a bravery award.
Yesterday, a school holiday camp was taking place at the Greenwich Sailing Club. A parent told ITC that luckily, at least 30 kids were inside at the time of the accident and did not witness the traumatic event. Parents were permitted to access the site to pick up their children. This morning, parents were dropping their kids at the entrance, and staff members of the holiday camp were escorting the kids down to the sailing club.
A Greenwich local told ITC that the elderly couple had been fishing at this spot for years and he had spoken to them about 20 times over the years. They were from Willioughby and loved to come fishing at the sailing club. She was a passionate angler. It was usual for Ahmed to sit in the car, facing the water (not parked in the parking bays facing the clubhouse), and watch his wife fish.
The police said that Ahmed lost control while parking the car, and this was a very distressing incident.
In 2002 ITC took this video of the Greenwich Arts Trail at the Greenwich Sailing Club – this video shows the car park and the club house.
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, at around 4.00 pm, tragedy struck at the popular fishing spot next to the Greenwich Sailing Club at Manns Place, Greenwich, when an 86-year-old man's car accelerated through the club's car park, smashed through a fence, and plunged into the river.){kind=link}