A car that may have been sitting underwater for three decades was yanked from a West Palm Beach lake, authorities said Saturday.
Divers, part of a volunteer group using sonar technology, had stumbled upon the submerged vehicle Friday morning. According to a WPBF report, the discovery was made in a lake just south of 45th Street and east of Interstate 95. The volunteers immediately reported to West Palm Beach police, who confirmed they believed the car, a late 1980s model, to have been plunged into the lake for over 30 years.
West Palm Beach police spokesperson Mike Jachles detailed that the vehicle was found about 35 feet from the shore, deeply buried in 12.5 feet of silt and water. "We don't know how the car wound up in the water," Jachles told WPBF. He added, "But presumably, when that car went into the water several decades ago, none of what's behind us was here. It was just a lake and the interstate."
The car, extracted Friday night, was heavily damaged, appearing to have sustained injuries from both a significant crash and the long-term effects of submersion. A WPTV report confirmed police were alerted to the scene after 6 p.m. by the divers who located the vehicle around 11:30 a.m. The medical examiner arrived at the site before 10 p.m., with police standing by for their findings on the potential human remains found inside the vehicle.
The nature of the accident and the reason the car ended up in the lake are still to be determined. Jachles speculated that the car might have traveled off the interstate, whether it was accidental or intentional, and that "something else" could have transpired
