A pickup truck went into Lake Washington late Friday night near Lakeside Avenue South and South Day Street, coming to rest roughly 40 feet from shore in about 10 feet of water. Firefighters who reached the submerged cab found it empty, with all four doors hanging open, prompting an expansive search of the surrounding water for anyone who might still be in distress.
Seattle Fire Dept. said on social media that two rescue divers and four rescue swimmers went into the lake to search the area around the vehicle after crews confirmed no occupants were inside the cab, according to Seattle Fire Dept. The department's post noted the rescue operation was centered at Lakeside Avenue South and South Day Street and reminded the public to call 911 for emergencies. As reported by KING 5, the scene unfolded Friday night along the Lake Washington shoreline, with firefighters searching the cab before deploying divers and swimmers into the surrounding water.
Local witnesses posting to Reddit said two people were seen swimming back to shore and fleeing the area before Seattle Fire Department crews arrived, offering a possible explanation for why the truck was found abandoned with its doors wide open. That account has not been confirmed by law enforcement, and it remains unclear whether police have identified or located anyone connected to the vehicle.
A Familiar Stretch of Shoreline for Water Emergencies
The submerged truck landed at what Seattle Parks and Recreation designates as the Day Street Boat Ramp, a one-acre waterfront park at 1402 Lakeside Avenue South that sits directly beneath the Interstate 90 floating bridge and includes a hand-carry launch for non-motorized boats and a public view deck. The location sits just south of Leschi, where Seattle Parks and Recreation temporarily halted a $7.913 million overhaul of the Leschi Marina earlier this year after merchants complained about waterfront access and parking closures, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of the Leschi Marina dispute.
Friday's incident is not the first time an empty vehicle has turned up submerged along this stretch of Lake Washington. In May, Seattle Police and Harbor Patrol investigated a separate submerged vehicle found 40 to 50 feet offshore near the 2400 block of Lake Washington Boulevard South — also unoccupied, though in that case with its doors and windows closed, according to KING 5's earlier reporting. Lake Washington Boulevard South runs directly into Lakeside Avenue South, placing both incidents along the same shoreline corridor within a few months of each other.
Rescue Teams Built for Freshwater Emergencies
Seattle Fire's rescue swimmers complete a 40-hour Rapid Entry Rescue Swimmer course and work alongside dedicated dive teams and donated Sea-Doo watercraft that extend the department's reach beyond 300 feet from shore, per the Seattle Fire Foundation. Those capabilities have been tested repeatedly on Lake Washington. In November 2024, rescue swimmers and divers pulled a 20-year-old woman from a submerged car resting 30 to 40 feet offshore at the Be'er Sheva Park boat launch, after another occupant had already swum to shore unassisted, the Seattle Fire Line blog reported at the time. The City of Seattle has said the department maintains specialized units, including Rescue 1, marine teams, rescue swimmers and fireboats, as part of its broader emergency response workforce.
Open-Water Risks Persist Countywide
The pattern of vehicle and water emergencies on Lake Washington comes as Public Health – Seattle & King County has tracked a troubling toll from open-water incidents regionally. The agency recorded 25 preventable drowning deaths in 2025 and 144 total preventable drowning deaths between 2021 and 2025, with more than half occurring in natural open waters like lakes and rivers. County health officials have also reported that over 60 percent of people who died from preventable drownings in King County between 2018 and 2024 had drugs or alcohol in their system, underscoring why officials continue to warn against substance use near open water.
No injuries or arrests had been reported in connection with Friday's search as of the fire department's initial update. It remains unresolved whether the truck was stolen, whether anyone was inside when it entered the water, or whether the swimmers described by witnesses were connected to the vehicle at all.
