Billionaire shipping tycoon Angela Chao knew she was about to die as she got stuck in her car after flipping it into a pond while she was three times over the drink limit, revealed the police.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law was pronounced dead at the scene after her Tesla SUV was pulled out of the water at her 900-acre ranch in Texas on February 11.
She had previously been baffled by the speeds of her Model X and put the car into reverse by mistake after a night out with close friends at an estate lodge.
The Blanco County Sheriff’s Office report details their frantic attempts to save her as she spoke on the phone with one of them, Amber Keinan, from her slowly sinking car.
“Chao told Keinan the water was rising and she was going to die and said ‘I love you,'” police found. “Chao then said goodbye to Keinan.”
Billionaire shipping industry CEO Angela Chao tragically drowned in a pond on her Texas ranch after accidentally putting her Tesla into reverse.
Angela Chao (far right) is pictured in 2015 with her sister, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao (left), her brother-in-law Mitch McConnell (second from left), now President Joe Biden (at center), and his father, James Chao (second from right)
An aerial view of the ponds on Chao’s 900-acre Texas ranch outside Johnson City.
She had spent the weekend with seven of her closest friends, who had come from New York to celebrate the Chinese New Year, while her husband, venture capitalist Jim Breyer, was away at a conference in Dubai.
On February 10, shortly after 11:30 p.m., she decided to return to the main house, where her son was sleeping soundly. The February night air was cool and rather than walk back to the residence, Chao thought it was easier to drive.
Police said security footage outside the lodge recorded her at 11:37 p.m., wrapped in a blanket with a phone in her right hand, walking “unsteadily toward her vehicle.”
An attempted three-point turn then ended in disaster when the electric vehicle rolled down an embankment and fell into the water.
At 11:42 p.m., she called Keinan to tell him she was stranded and spent eight minutes on the phone while friends ran to the scene, one paddling a kayak and another swimming to the vehicle and climbing above.
A third friend called 911, but it took first responders 24 minutes to reach the remote location west of Johnson City as the vehicle filled with water.
The firefighters dove into the darkness and one of them smashed the driver’s window, searching the area until he found Chao’s hand.
They managed to get her out and to the edge of the pond at 12:56 a.m., spending the next 43 minutes attempting “advanced life support” before she was pronounced dead at 1:40 a.m.
Chao had spent the weekend with seven of her closest girlfriends celebrating Chinese New Year while her husband, venture capitalist Jim Breyer, was away at a conference.
Her father, James SC Chao, remembers his youngest daughter as “thoughtful, kind and dedicated” as well as being a much-loved “charismatic and visionary leader.”
Angela Chao is pictured with her husband Jim Breyer in 2023
From left, the Chao sisters: Grace, Christine, Elaine, May and Angela Chao, photographed in 2016
Angela Chao is pictured with her first husband Bruce Wasserstein, who died in 2009 just months after their marriage.
Police initially refused to rule out foul play, but concluded Wednesday that his death was an “unfortunate accident.”
A toxicology report found a blood alcohol level of 0.233 grams per 100 milliliters, nearly three times the legal limit for driving in Texas, which is 0.08 grams.
“Angela’s passing was a terrible tragedy and words cannot adequately describe the family’s profound grief,” a spokesperson for her father, James SC Chao, and his family said Wednesday.
“The family is grateful to the first responders and friends who tried so hard to save her.”
Chao was well known in D.C. circles as president and CEO of the shipping giant Foremost Group and as the sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine, who herself served as secretary of the Departments of Labor and Transportation.
Chao’s husband, Jim Breyer, wrote simply: “We are heartbroken. »
The Chao family is the only one in the school’s history to have had four daughters attend Harvard Business School.
Angela earned her bachelor’s degree in economics summa cum laude in just three years.
She then attended Harvard Business School before joining her father’s company, The Foremost Group, in 1996. Chao became CEO of the company in 2018.
She is remembered for her “pioneering leadership” and for being a “tremendous executive” in the shipping industry.
In June 2016, Chao was also appointed as an independent director of the board of directors of the Bank of China.
Her husband, whose net worth is estimated at $2.9 billion, is a co-owner of the Boston Celtics and has previously served on the boards of Facebook, Walmart, Marvel, News Corp. and Dell.
Breyer said he was “heartbroken by this terrible tragedy.”
“I am very grateful for the remarkable efforts of the many first responders in Blanco County who did everything possible to save the life of my wonderful wife,” he added.
Chao was the sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as secretary of the Labor and Transportation departments. McConnell and Chao are seen here in 1993
The Chao family: On the far left is Angela, who died in the car accident. In the back row are his sisters Christine, May and Grace. Elaine Chao sits next to her father James SC Chao. James SC Chao sits next to the portrait of his late wife
She was previously married to billionaire banker Bruce Wasserstein, who died in 2009, just months after their marriage.
Blanco Deputy Chief Robert Woodring said Chao committed no offense because she was driving on private property at the time of her death.
“It’s something you don’t want to do, but it’s not a crime,” he told reporters.
McConnell, 82, referenced her death when he announced last month that he would step down as Senate Republican leader later this year.
Speaking in the Senate, he said: “This has been a particularly difficult time for my family. We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister Angela just a few weeks ago.
“When you lose a loved one, especially at a young age, a certain amount of introspection accompanies the grieving process.”