It was supposed to be a landscape photo shoot but ended with a precious vintage car being pulled out of the lake.
Newspaper enterprise reported that a resident of Canyon Lake, California was setting up their 1939 Packard on the boat ramp for a photo shoot on April 9.
For unknown reasons, the car owner abandoned the car on the boat ramp.
It is unclear whether the car owner pulled the handbrake or not, but the car still plunged into water about 6 meters deep and sank completely.
At approximately 8 a.m., a member of the Canyon Lake Community Patrol called the Canyon Lake Fire Department after they saw an oily light on the water and replayed surveillance footage of the sinking.
The fire department responded, requesting assistance from the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department and the Riverside County sheriff’s dive team because they suspected there might be people in the vehicle.
At about 8:20 a.m., the car owner returned and informed rescue workers that the car was empty.
“He was very emotional,” Canyon Lake Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse said. “It’s like his child.”
said Pedro Gonzalez, auto manager at Carey’s Fine Automobiles in San Bernardino Newspaper enterprise the car is worth between $25,000 and $40,000 ($38,235 and $61,177).
He noted that flooded interiors and electrical wiring would make rescue difficult.
Riverside County environmental health officers were called to the lake to handle the cleanup, installing a crane to prevent further oil spills.
