A 57-year-old New York woman died this week after her car plunged into a pond during foggy morning conditions, authorities said.
Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby identified the victim as Robin Sardone. According to Milby, Sardone was able to call 911 shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, following the crash, but the call abruptly ended as her vehicle submerged.
The incident occurred amid dense fog, which authorities say may have impaired Sardone’s visibility. Local reports from The Democrat and Chronicle indicate that she did not stop at a stop sign and drove through an intersection before entering the pond.
Emergency responders arrived minutes after her call. By approximately 4:17 a.m., a firefighter equipped for water rescue entered the pond in an attempt to locate her. The response included personnel from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Palmyra Police Department, South Macedon Fire and Rescue, Macedon Center Fire Department, and Macedon Town Ambulance.
A dive team from the sheriff’s office arrived around 5:05 a.m. and spent more than two hours searching for Sardone. The team also deployed a remotely operated vehicle equipped with sonar, but efforts were hampered by a dense growth of aquatic vegetation in the pond, Milby said.
Sardone’s body was ultimately located around 7:40 a.m. by a diver inside her submerged vehicle. “She was not able to self-extricate,” Milby told The Democrat and Chronicle. Authorities are continuing to investigate the crash, and an autopsy will determine the official cause and manner of death.
Friends and members of Sardone’s community expressed their grief over the sudden loss. Rev. Jim Trimble of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Honeoye Falls, where Sardone had recently become involved, told ABC affiliate WHAM that she leaves behind a daughter who “was her world.” He described her as a dedicated seeker of faith: “Robin and I would have discussions frequently. [She was] asking really good questions and never accepting stock answers.”
Chris Baron, a fellow churchgoer and longtime friend, said Sardone “was kind, caring and friendly. She loved dancing, she loved going to the state fair, she loved boating, she was always proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. She was one of my best friends, and I’m certainly going to miss her.”
Another friend, Anna Engstrom, told WHAM that the community faces “a long healing process” following Sardone’s death. “We’re going to have to take baby steps, first honoring her faith and then figuring out how to support her daughter moving forward,” she said.
Authorities continue to review the circumstances surrounding the crash, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing.
