3 Sunken Vehicles Found in Santa Ana Park – NBC Los Angeles

Renovation work on a lake in Santa Ana revealed an unusual discovery that recently caused confusion among park visitors.

As city workers drained the smaller of two lakes in Centennial Park, they discovered three sunken vehicles at the bottom of the lake. According to a post on Santa Ana’s Instagram account, the body of water had been closed for renovations since August. Visitors to the park often said that the roofs of cars appeared when the water level dropped in early November.

Isyck James said he fishes the lake two to three times a week.

“I got stuck on some pretty strange things,” James said. “I kind of thought there shouldn’t be anything there.”

The Orange County Fire Department said someone called to report someone driving into the lake on Nov. 6. When firefighters responded to what was initially a technical rescue call, they discovered the cars that had apparently been there for many years. According to the OCFA, they found no one inside.

“Well, there’s definitely no reason why there will be cars here,” James said.

“How did the car get there?” another park visitor asked.

Santa Ana police said this week that officers were aware of the unusual discovery but were not investigating it as a crime. According to a police department spokesperson, no other reports are available or related to the cars.

According to the City of Santa Ana, the Centennial Lake Renovation Project is a comprehensive restoration effort to improve the existing 10-acre lake. Current operating equipment and facilities, originally installed in 1978, have reached the limits of their design life, the city added.

A car enthusiast who spoke to NBC4 said he saw the cars being pulled out of the water. He believed two of the cars were from the 1980s and the third car was a 1965 Oldsmobile.

According to police, the cars were taken out of the lake and towed to a yard.