A submerged car in the icy waters of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has emerged as an unlikely tourist attraction and social media hit. The partially sunken car has piqued the interest and concern of residents and online observers.
Unusual Sight Captivates Residents
Although Minnesota locals are accustomed to icy lakes, seeing a vehicle stuck under the ice is not a common sight. Karl Erickson, an owner of Urban Ice Anglers, a nonprofit organization that helps youth develop a passion for fishing, called the sight unprecedented. “It’s certainly not something you see daily in Minnesota,” Erickson reported to the Minnesota Star Tribune on February 20, 2025.
The vehicle, which is a 2008 Buick Lucerne, has been trapped in White Bear Lake for almost a month. Erickson started posting images and videos of the underwater car on social media, and the posts soon went viral. “I posted it on Instagram, and it just went crazy, like a million views,” Erickson said in an interview with CBS News affiliate WCCO. “People enjoy creating memes and strange things, so I thought, ‘Why not utilize this to make people aware of our nonprofit and ice safety?”
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No Safety Issues, But Removal Deadline Approaches
In spite of some online speculation, officials confirmed that no one was stuck in the car. Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies said that a 41-year-old resident of the area accidentally drove the vehicle onto the ice and crashed through on January 27, 2025. The driver survived unharmed.
The owner has 30 days to have the vehicle taken out of the lake, and that time frame is quickly closing in. Even though the driver offered to have the car taken out, inclement weather has made the process more difficult.
“Most are not as bad as this one,” Cmdr. Mike Servatka of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said. “Usually they get them out pretty quick.”
Unexpected Benefits for Local Anglers
Interestingly, the underwater car has made a special fishing hotspot. The car provides a sanctuary for fish that want to hide from predators, giving Urban Ice Anglers’ students a chance to practice their skills.
In a video uploaded to the Urban Ice Anglers Instagram page last week, students are fishing from a tent positioned over the submerged car. Drilled holes in the ice provide entry to the water beneath, and the work has been rewarded with successful catches. “John catching a fish for the first time on a sunken @buickusa ????,” the playful caption of the video read. With the removal deadline approaching, White Bear Lake’s unlikely popularity keeps on drawing people and fueling public debate regarding ice safety and community action.
