Bent, broken and missing railings on the side of Maungatapu Bridge led to the discovery of a ute with a body still inside under water in Tauranga Harbour.
Passing motorists reported seeing damaged railings on the side of the bridge about 8pm on Saturday, but it was not readily apparent what had happened.
The police found security footage which showed a vehicle had collided with the bridge, but the footage did not show whether the vehicle had gone into the water or had driven away.
On Sunday morning, a team of police divers began searching the harbour near the bridge, in scenes eerily reminiscent of the death of 24-year-old Greg Woledge in 2013.
Woledge was driving a work van with a passenger and was hit by an oncoming car, forcing the van off the side of the bridge and into the water.