Grandfather’s body recovered from water at popular north shore fishing spot​on April 15, 2025 at 4:33 am

Police divers have recovered the body of Ahmad Dunia, an elderly grandfather who drove his car into the water at a popular fishing spot on Sydney’s lower north shore, hitting his wife as he crashed through a fence.

The 86-year-old’s body was pulled from the water about 6.30pm, just over two hours after emergency services launched a search for the man.

The car accelerated into the water, hitting Dunia’s 74-year-old wife, near Manns Point boat ramp at Greenwich about 4.20pm on Monday and floated away as it quickly took on water with the driver inside, police said. The couple had just arrived and removed their fishing gear from the car, a Toyota sedan, which Dunia was trying to park.

A relative led tributes to the couple on a community social media page, calling the incident a “tragic accident” and writing that the grandfather had been “returned to Allah”. Hundreds of comments under the post shared their condolences.

“Please we ask you to make Dua for them and the family,” the post read. In Islam, Dua is an expression of submission of faith to God.

Police divers arrived on the scene in the early evening to begin an underwater search for the car and its driver before recovering his body about two hours later.

Dunia’s wife was standing near the water’s edge when she was struck by the car as it went through the fence, pushing her into the water.

A 55-year-old Central Coast man working nearby rescued the woman after jumping into the river, five metres below where she had fallen. Another witness also entered the water and helped the woman onto a nearby boat. She was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital with a suspected broken ankle, bruises, abrasions and shock. The 55-year-old tried in vain to save the 86-year-old before the car sank.