A renovation project at a Santa Ana park led to the discovery of three submerged vehicle in the space’s lake. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
Renovations taking place at a lake in Santa Ana revealed an unusual discovery that had park-goers scratching their heads recently.
As city workers drained the smaller of two lakes at Centennial Park, they discovered three submerged vehicles at the bottom of the lake. The body of water had been closed for renovations since August, according to a post on Santa Ana’s Instagram account. People who visit the park often said the tops of the cars appeared as the water level lowered in early November.
Isyck James said he fishes at the lake two to three times a week.
“I was getting stuck on pretty weird things,” said James. “I kinda thought there shouldn’t be anything right there.”
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The Orange County Fire Authority said someone called to report that someone drove into the lake on Nov. 6. When firefighters responded to what was initially a technical rescue call, they discovered the cars, which appeared to have been there for many years. They did not find anybody inside, according to the OCFA.
“Well, there’s definitely no reason why there’s going to be cars in here,” James said.
“How the car got there?” asked another park-goer.
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Santa Ana police said this week that officers are aware of the unusual discovery, but they are not investigating it as a crime. There are no other reports attached or related to the cars, according to a spokesperson for the police department.
The Centennial Lake Renovation project is a comprehensive rehabilitation effort to improve the existing 10-acre lake, according to the city of Santa Ana. The current operational equipment and facilities originally installed in 1978 have reached the limits of their design life, added the city.
A car enthusiast who spoke with NBC4 said he saw the cars being taken out of the water. He believed two of the cars were from the 1980s and the third car was a 1965 Oldsmobile.
The cars were taken out of the lake and towed to a yard, according to police.
