Sedan Stuck in Frozen Minnesota Lake Goes Viral: 'Not Something You See Every Day'

Mar. 15, 2025

Car stuck in White Bear Lake in Minnesota.Photo:WCCO - CBS Minnesota/YouTube

WCCO - CBS Minnesota/YouTube

A car submerged in frozen White Bear Lake is raising eyebrows in Minnesota.Residents may be used to seeing cold temperatures turn lakes frozen, but a single sedan sinking in the center is a new sight.“It’s definitely not something you see every day in Minnesota,” Karl Erickson, organizer of theUrban Ice Anglers, a group founded to help foster a passion for fishing among young people, told theMinnesota Star Tribuneon Feb. 20.The 2008 Buick Lucerne that has called White Bear Lake its home for nearly a month has gone viral since Erickson began posting photos and videos of it on social media.“People on the internet love making memes and weird stuff and I thought, ‘How about make a meme to raise awareness for the nonprofit [and ice safety]?’ ” Erickson told the outlet.“I put it on Instagram, and it just went nuts, like a million views,” Erickson told CBS News affiliateWCCO. “The reaction on social media’s just been all over the place, ‘Oh there’s a dead body in there.’ “Fans far and wide can rest assured that there’s no dead body trapped in the car.A 41-year-old resident accidentally crashed his car through the ice, Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies said on Jan. 27, reports theStar Tribune. The man only has a few days left to remove it before a 30-day deadline expires and promised to do so, but weather conditions have made the task more challenging.According to Erickson, the submerged car provides a safe haven for fish seeking shelter from predators, which has given his students the perfect opportunity to catch them.In a video shared to the Urban Ice AnglersInstagramaccount last week, students can be seen sitting in a tent placed over the car. Holes have been drilled in the ice, and their rods have successfully caught fish.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“John catching a fish for the first time on a sunken@buickusa🚘,” the clip is captioned.“Most cases aren’t as bad as this one, “Cmdr. Mike Servatka told theMinnesota Star Tribune.“Usually they get them out pretty quick.”

A car submerged in frozen White Bear Lake is raising eyebrows in Minnesota.

Residents may be used to seeing cold temperatures turn lakes frozen, but a single sedan sinking in the center is a new sight.

“It’s definitely not something you see every day in Minnesota,” Karl Erickson, organizer of theUrban Ice Anglers, a group founded to help foster a passion for fishing among young people, told theMinnesota Star Tribuneon Feb. 20.

The 2008 Buick Lucerne that has called White Bear Lake its home for nearly a month has gone viral since Erickson began posting photos and videos of it on social media.

“People on the internet love making memes and weird stuff and I thought, ‘How about make a meme to raise awareness for the nonprofit [and ice safety]?’ ” Erickson told the outlet.

“I put it on Instagram, and it just went nuts, like a million views,” Erickson told CBS News affiliateWCCO. “The reaction on social media’s just been all over the place, ‘Oh there’s a dead body in there.’ "

Fans far and wide can rest assured that there’s no dead body trapped in the car.

A 41-year-old resident accidentally crashed his car through the ice, Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies said on Jan. 27, reports theStar Tribune. The man only has a few days left to remove it before a 30-day deadline expires and promised to do so, but weather conditions have made the task more challenging.

According to Erickson, the submerged car provides a safe haven for fish seeking shelter from predators, which has given his students the perfect opportunity to catch them.

In a video shared to the Urban Ice AnglersInstagramaccount last week, students can be seen sitting in a tent placed over the car. Holes have been drilled in the ice, and their rods have successfully caught fish.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“John catching a fish for the first time on a sunken@buickusa🚘,” the clip is captioned.

“Most cases aren’t as bad as this one, “Cmdr. Mike Servatka told theMinnesota Star Tribune.“Usually they get them out pretty quick.”

source: people.com