US Naval Academy midshipman found dead in icy creek

A midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy was found dead Sunday in a creek after apparently crashing his SUV on campus, The Washington Post reported.

"We are treating this as a single-car motor vehicle accident," a spokesman from the academy told the paper.

The victim was identified as Naval Academy Midshipman 1st Class Max Allen, 25, who is from Chesterfield, Va., the Capital Gazette reported. The white SUV was located Sunday by an employee who saw the vehicle in a creek behind the academy's Nimitz Library.

The vehicle was recovered and his body was discovered by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department dive team near a seawall, the report said. Officials believe that the victim crashed as early as Friday night.

"The Naval Academy is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Midshipman Max Allen. It is painful to lose a member of our Naval Academy family, and as we attempt to better understand this tremendous loss, we offer our deepest condolences to Max's family, close friends, classmates and company mates during this extremely difficult time," said Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Michael Miller.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is probing the incident and grief counselors will be offered to students. It is unclear if road conditions led to the accident.