Authorities pulled a red Ford Mustang convertible out of the river on Friday at Interstate State Park in Minnesota. It did not appear to be occupied, and has since been determined stolen. Authorities said the vehicle did not appear to have been in the river very long.
The Chisago County Sheriff provided details on Facebook:
Just after 2:30pm this afternoon we received a 911 call regarding a vehicle submerged in the St. Croix River in the Interstate State Park area of Taylors Falls. The vehicle was barely visible and no further information was available. At the time, it was unknown if the vehicle was occupied or how long it had been submerged. All emergency rescue resources were then started.
The vehicle was secured and ultimately removed from the water. It was found to be unoccupied. Initial signs indicate that this was likely intentional. The area where the vehicle went into the water is far away from roads or a parking lot and it is only accessible by a walking/hiking path.
By the end of the weekend, the registered owner had been contacted and confirmed the car was stolen. The sheriff posted that several security cameras in the area are being examined to help identify a suspect.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Deputy Derek Anklan at derek.anklan@chisagocounty.us or
651-213-6378.
Unfortunately, based on photos, it appears the car contaminated the river water with gasoline, oil, and other chemicals.
The responding agencies who risked their lives to help remove the car from the cold, fast-moving water included the Chisago County Sheriff, Taylors Falls Fire Dept., St. Croix Falls Police Dept., Polk County, WI Sheriff’s Office, Lakes Region EMS, Interstate Park Rangers, and PLC Towing & Recovery.
