You don't expect to find 20 cars in a lake during a dive, but that's what happened to someone swimming through a lake in Doral, Florida. This person advised the authorities. The Miami-Dade Police came to the scene to pull the vehicles out of the water. Law enforcement found that at least some of the automobiles had connections to unsolved crimes.
The video below shows two of the cars coming out of the lake. The first one is an Acura Legend coupe. The Doral police chief told NBC6 News that the car was stolen "around 2002."
Today, members of our Special Patrol Bureau, Divers Unit along with @DoralPolice and @MiamiDadeFire took part in a vehicle recovery detail after receiving information of several dozen vehicles submerged in a lake in the Doral, Florida area. pic.twitter.com/KLZFeCpMQ7
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) August 9, 2023
"The second vehicle was a 1980s vehicle that was stolen in the late 90s," said Doral Police Department Chief Edwin Lopez to NBC6 News. In the video, it appears to be a sixth-generation Cadillac De Ville.
Both of them were high-end cars at the time. We don't know the model year for certain, but a 1994 Legend Coupe started at $38,085 when new, according to Kelley Blue Book. That's roughly the equivalent of $80,000 in 2023.
A 1992 Cadillac De Ville started at $32,910, which would be roughly $85,000 today.
The police also found a 2002 Nissan Altima that was another stolen vehicle. However, this one isn't in the video clip.
The divers used flotation devices and rope to pull the cars near the shore. From there, a crane lifted them out of the water.
"It seems that this area was a hot spot when none of this was developed where cars were driven into the lakes. As each vehicle is pulled out of the water, a thorough investigation will be done, and they will run the VIN numbers to make sure that it’s tied back to cases that may have been open for many years," said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga.
These vehicles have been underwater for decades. However, someone might be able to salvage some parts from them. For example, check out the Acura NSX that spent 15 years in a river, and the new owners have started restoring it as a track car.
