Horror as couple on first date drown after car crashes into lake at beauty spot

08 January 2024 , 13:36

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Tiziana Tozzo drowned in the water (Image: Jam Press)

A couple on their first date by an idyllic Italian lake died tragically after their car ended up in the water.

Morgan Algeri and Tiziana Tozzo were seen chatting before getting into the SUV by Lake Como and then the car inexplicably lurched forward into the freezing water last Saturday night. The Mercedes crashed through a barrier and the couple both drowned.

The bodies of Mr Algeri, 38, and Ms Tozzo, 45, were recovered the following day by police divers. Little clear information is known about what happened and it will become clearer after an autopsy with police keeping an open mind.

Mr Algeri apparently got into the driving seat at the spot on Viale Geno, which is a well-known romantic location, before the car moved forward. It was parked about two metres from the water and the car plunged into the lake that is about 20 metres deep at that point.

Morgan Algeri was seen getting into the driving seat (Jam Press)

There were no passersby when the incident happened except for two children who have given a vague account to police. They have told how the couple were chatting before they got into the car with Mr Algeri in the driving seat. Morgan's sister has said that the car was bought only a few months ago and he had complained previously of mechanical problems.

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Tiziana, who leaves behind a 14-year-old son, had met her date through social media a month earlier. Morgan, an experienced pilot and flight instructor from Brembate di Sotto, had recently broken up amicably with his ex-partner and they remained on good terms. Tiziana worked at a canned tuna production facility nearby in Cermenate and she lived with her teenage son in Cant after divorcing his father.

Tiziana was on a first date with Morgan when the accident happened (Jam Press)

Morgan was a pilot and flight instructor (Jam Press)

"He was my brother, a fantastic person who has left an unfillable void,” said Alessio Pengue, a close friend of Morgan, while friends of Tiziana said she was “strong and good-hearted who protected her child”.

The couple enjoyed a dinner at a restaurant in Capiago Intimiano before the tragedy happened. So far police have retried mobile phones from the pair but there is no evidence that they had an argument. The police are following several lines of investigation, including human error and a health problem as well as mechanical failure in the car. The SUV was hoisted from the lake on Sunday and taken away for further analysis, but no anomalies have been detected so far.

Tim Hanlon