WASHINGTON — Authorities have identified the two men who died after their pickup truck plunged off the Arlington Memorial Bridge into the icy Potomac River last week.
Yesterday, January 22, 2025, the United States Park Police confirmed the victims were Jerod and Jerel Wert, 52-year-old twin brothers from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.
The incident occurred on the evening of January 16, when the pickup truck was involved in a collision with another vehicle. The impact sent the truck careening through the bridge’s concrete railing before it plunged into the river below.
Emergency crews, including dive teams, were dispatched to the scene to locate the vehicle and its occupants. One man was pulled from the water shortly after the crash and transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Dive teams returned to the bridge on Friday afternoon, recovering the second victim from the submerged truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the United States Park Police. Officials have not yet disclosed details about the other vehicle involved or the cause of the collision.
The Arlington Memorial Bridge, which connects Washington, D.C., to Virginia, is a heavily trafficked route. Authorities have urged drivers to remain cautious, especially during winter months when icy conditions can make roadways particularly hazardous.
A Memorial Mass for Jerod and Jerel Wert will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, located at 8816 Chesapeake Avenue in North Beach, Maryland. A viewing and repass will follow in the church hall immediately after the Mass, and the community is invited to attend.
This tragic accident has shaken the Wert family’s Chesapeake Beach community, where friends and neighbors remember the brothers fondly.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
