Man Drowns After Driving Car Off Biloxi Pier Near Casino, Investigation Ongoing

A man is dead in Biloxi, MS, after driving his vehicle off a pier in the Gulf Coast .

Police and medical first responders responded to calls shortly before 9 p.m. local time on Sunday night after a car drove off the drive-on Biloxi Fishing Pier. The pier, the longest in the area, extends almost 5,000 feet into the Biloxi Back Bay near the Biloxi Bay Bridge/U.S. Highway 90.

The Harrison County Coroner said Paul Costello, 67, of Milton, FL, is presumed to have mistakenly thought the pier, located just south of the Palace Casino Resort at E. Howard Ave., was a bridge. Costello had moments earlier dropped off his family at the casino and was seeking a parking spot. 

It s likely that Costello thought he made a wrong turn onto a bridge and had planned to turn around on the other side. The is a tight two-lane vehicle-accessible pier that has only one turnaround area before the end of the jetty.

The county coroner s office said Costello died as a result of drowning. He was visiting during the holidays with his family from Florida. Costello was the only person in the vehicle.

Costello s family told law enforcement that he had no known medical issues and was in good spirits before the tragic accident. The coroner will perform a toxicology report to determine if alcohol or drugs played a role.

A tow truck with a crane was brought onto the Biloxi Fishing Pier to recover Costello s vehicle.

The pier is an attraction for many Biloxi residents and Palace Casino Resort guests. The Biloxi waters are known for their abundance of redfish, a common name for several species of fish. Redfish can be caught year-round in Biloxi, though the spring and fall months are when the fish are most active.

While redfish are notorious for putting up a lively fight with anglers because they are aggressive eaters, getting a catch isn t usually difficult.

Biloxi Bay, in particular, is a great place for anglers to fish for reds, FishAnywhere.com reports. The marshes and vegetation provide good eating, hiding, and spawning for reds and they can grow large here.

For those not looking to fish, numerous restaurants in the area serve up redfish.

The Half Shell Oyster House on Lameuse St. near Hard Rock is known for its Royal Redfish. The specialty features bronzed redfish served over a bed of grilled asparagus and Cajun boiled mashed potatoes with Royal Red shrimp sauteed in a white wine cream sauce and parmesan cheese.

The Biloxi Fishing Pier before Sunday night s accident had no warning signs as motorists approached the end of the structure. Though the posted speed limit is just 10 miles per hour, drivers could be distracted by fishermen standing alongside the road and the water views.

Google Street View on the Biloxi Fishing Pier shows only a gray, metal, four-foot-high fence at the end of the . There are no stop or warning signs.

Formally the Point Cadet Fishing Pier, the structure opened on April 30, 2013. The 4,700-foot-long concrete pier replaced a popular fishing pier that was destroyed in 2005 by Katrina.