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HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed that police Sgt. Steve Perez has died after he became trapped in his patrol car as he was driving to work.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Sgt. Steve Perez had lost his life trying to get to work when he became trapped in his patrol car in a flooded highway underpass.

His voice cracking, Acevedo chronicled how Perez left home about 4 a.m. Sunday to get to work, even after the sergeant’s wife had urged him to stay home. Harvey’s torrential rains had started the previous evening and continued to rage.

“I’ve got work to do,” Perez told his wife, according to the chief.

“He has that in his DNA,” Acevedo said.

“He was one of the sweetest people I’ve met,” Acevedo said of Perez, whose death Sunday was two days short of his 61st birthday. “I’ve only been here nine months, we’ve got 6,500 employees and I knew who Steve Perez was, because he was a sweet, gentle public servant.”

When Perez failed to show up at the regular roll call Monday, investigators back tracked his movements and narrowed their search to an inundated underpass.

On Tuesday morning, divers recovered Perez in 16 feet of water. Acevedo said he had “the privilege” of notifying Perez’s family.

Mayor Sylvester Turner credited Perez for making “that extra effort” to get to work.

“What we can say is Sgt. Perez fulfilled his mission and the Lord called him home. I would dare not say he lost his life in vain, because he didn’t.”