FOLLOWUP: Somebody drove it in. But nobody knows how to get it out.

| Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(Friday photo, sent by Craig)

Back on Friday night, we reported on that Jeep Compass that turned up on a rocky stretch of shore in southwesternmost West Seattle, between the dead-ends of Seola Lane and Arroyo Beach Place [map]. Last night, via an update from tipster Craig, we learned it’s still there. We asked Seattle Police why. Thanks to Officer Brian Pritchard for giving us an update via reports that tell a tangled tale. In short, Seattle Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Ecology have all been to the site, and private salvagers have been consulted, but no one has been able to figure out how to get the vehicle out, via land or sea, either towing it out, pulling it out, or even floating it out. So far, the only major action taken is that Ecology removed the fuel that was in the SUV’s gas tank.

(Monday photo, sent by Craig)

So what about the person who owns it? Apparently that’s not the person who showed up on a nearby resident’s doorstep asking for a ride early Friday. Police say they’ve spoken to the resident and they weren’t aware the vehicle was on the beach at the time. The vehicle wasn’t reported stolen, Officer Pritchard just told us, until a short time ago, when its owner contacted police to tell them her vehicle had been taken while she was visiting friends last Thursday in North Seattle. So it might be her responsibility – or her insurer – to figure out how to get it off the beach. We’ll continue following up.

Paul April 23, 2024 (2:03 pm)

This is somewhat alarming, as I am sure people steeling cars will now think this is something fun to do with a car once they are done trashing it.

THOMAS April 23, 2024 (2:05 pm)

simple have one of the big US ARMY copters lift it out

Kris April 23, 2024 (5:24 pm)

I posted same solution after you. You beat me to it.

Jim April 23, 2024 (2:21 pm)

If they would stop pointing fingers about who pays to get it off the beach. Simply get a big mobile forklift, picket it up and put it on the Seola beach road to take it away. Or a barge with a crane and take it with that – but get it out of there, quite babling about it, I’m tired of looking at it.

WSB April 23, 2024 (3:13 pm)

It wasn’t a squabble about who pays, according to police, it’s a capability issue of how to get it out. Tow trucks couldn’t get close enough, for one, they said, and having tried to see the scene from both sides, I can see why, but if you know how they can get close enough, maybe they would appreciate the advice, though I’d hope they’ve canvassed neighbors if it was an access issue.

Nancy April 23, 2024 (2:48 pm)

Maybe they can surround it with bladder bags and float it out to a barge with a crane at hi tide.

WSB April 23, 2024 (3:07 pm)

I didn’t get into details but that was one option discussed preliminarily, according to police reports.
- Tony April 23, 2024 (3:27 pm)
  
  Could tug boats help?

Harborislandworker April 23, 2024 (3:26 pm)

Give global diving and salvage a call I’m sure they’ll be able to get it out

Brandon April 23, 2024 (4:24 pm)

Various ideas come to mind in 2 seconds. 1. Build a ramp to get down to the same level with another tow truck. If it’s then a matter of not having traction, connect several wenches with an object stationed in the middle until the vehicle is close enough to be accessed by another tow truck.2. Before it was water damaged, it could have been driven closer to the edge of the path with the foresight it was too far away to get.3. Strip it to make it lighter and more maneuverable.4. Push it out to sea and say farewell because at this point it shouldn’t have taken that long to figure out and you’re just wasting resources.

Greg April 24, 2024 (1:43 pm)

Seriously? Just push it out to sea? the car is a complete write-off at this point. There is absolutely zero discussion about trying to recover any value. The problem is that its a thing full of nasty stuff in the water. “Pushing it out to sea” is the absolute worst idea.

anonyme April 23, 2024 (4:41 pm)

Unbelievable. I hope there’s someone, somewhere with enough brains to not only figure out how to get a car out of the water, but to prevent thieves from gaining access to the beach in the first place.

Rhonda April 23, 2024 (5:19 pm)

They should chop it up into pieces and barge it out.

Kris April 23, 2024 (5:20 pm)

If money wasn’t an object, remove it with a helicopter. It may damage the jeep unless used with rig-able platform dolly the vehicle can sit on.

I did this in the US marines; On Youtube, search for “USMC 0481 hst”

Salty April 23, 2024 (7:12 pm)

It’s been pickled in brine for days. I think it’s a given that it will be totaled. I’d like to see just as much focus on finding the culprits and charging them to the fullest extent of the law. Surely there are federal crimes at play here, for such a sensitive marine area? The punks pulling these pranks need to be stopped and held accountable. I can only imagine the combined price tag of man hours incurred for these two beach immersions.

uncle loco April 23, 2024 (6:13 pm)

Perhaps we could recruit one of the local chop shops to strip it down in an hour and carry the parts out by hand.

Ernest P Worrell April 23, 2024 (6:55 pm)

Start attaching helium balloons around the pillars.

John April 23, 2024 (7:07 pm)

Landing craft and a winch. Just need a credit card number. (And maybe a tow truck if it’s been in the sea for a while)

John April 23, 2024 (7:11 pm)

Wow, that beach looks pretty flat.

Seola April 23, 2024 (8:10 pm)

The beach has zero access to a ramp that connects to a street within 15 houses and the ramp in the picture is so far below street level (2 stories) building a ramp would never work. The beach is rocky and difficult, not flat and smooth, a pretty challenging situation. It still amazes me as a neighbor that she was able to drive it as far as she did. Sadly someone is going to bear all the costs and it won’t be cheap.

The King April 23, 2024 (9:15 pm)

This comment section reminds me of the ideas that led to blowing up the whale on the beach in Oregon 1970.

Wseattleite April 23, 2024 (11:49 pm)

John has the correct answer. Landing craft and winch. Fairly straight forward and easy.

waikikigirl April 24, 2024 (6:42 am)

Remember these sayings… Easier said than done. Easy for you to say. Easy as pie. Easy as ABC. Easy as 123. Easy as falling off a log…Obviously it is not and I have upmost confidence they’ll get it out of the water.

Mike April 24, 2024 (7:35 am)

I’m relatively new to West Seattle. I’m struck by the many stories featuring cars flipped, stolen, vandalized, crashed, and driven inexplicably into water. Its beginning to seem like a “thing”.

flimflam April 24, 2024 (7:50 am)

The jerks that do stuff like this need a better hobby…

Chuck Jacobs April 24, 2024 (8:19 am)

I like the blowing it up with dynamite idea!

Bee April 24, 2024 (8:21 am)

So the 8 thousand mega military helicopters that fly over…. Or the 10 million barges, tugboats, rafts, or cranes the port has….Okay Nevermind stand around it like a grill and talk it to death.jfc.

Whisky Woods April 24, 2024 (8:44 am)

Blackhawk helicopter could pluck that suv off the beach.

Greg April 24, 2024 (1:46 pm)

and probably only cost $5million dollars to do so. my bet is that they have plenty of pie in the sky ideas already but they are looking for cheapest effective options.

tim April 24, 2024 (10:41 am)

leave it where is so the sea life doesn’t get disturbed.

scubi April 24, 2024 (1:34 pm)

yes, leave the jeep for an artificial reef and future dive spot

batgurrl April 24, 2024 (10:57 am)

This is a tough place for a vehicle to be stranded. Seola Beach Road ends where the city has it fenced and a bulkhead. There are several private boat ramps but I doubt a tow truck could navagte them. (Width problem)Then you have the tide and how this car has now gotten down past a very rocky area that is full of sea life and I am sure won’t support a tow truck even if they wanted to tear up the place more. I bet the fear is they go down there and get stuck too.That is all to the south of the car. To the north is hundreds of pristine beach. Both sand and rock. Again a town truck would have to wait till very low tide and drive on the packed sand. But they could get stuck doing that too. Oh and the access to the beach again is all via private narrow boat ramps. Most were built decades ago and would they even support the weight or width.So… we are now at the water rescue. Going to take a special salvage barge and a crane. Not like that kind of equipment is common. Glad they got the fuel out of it. On the bluff behind it are several species of birds who dig little tunnels to have their babies. There are lots of crows, eagles, blue heron, seagulls, kingfishers, ducks, scooters & the occasional otter and seal on this beach area. Several of us have done Find it Fix it not knowing the details above. I am going to share this article over on Nextdoor. Thanx WSB!!

WiseWoman April 24, 2024 (11:42 am)

This is the same vehicle that hit and run that killed the 80’s something man at 15th & Roxbury.

WSB April 24, 2024 (1:07 pm)

No, it is not. The vehicle on the beach has been there since Friday (that’s when we published our first story). The hit-run crash happened Monday night.

Fed up local April 24, 2024 (6:08 pm)

This should have been dealt with with more urgency. If the cop who showed up the next day had just taken the keys, which are there, and driven it back the way she came this would not have happened. Instead he took a report and called people who showed up after the tide had come in. The vehicle was not disabled it was just abandoned, but after a few high tides the thing isn’t going anywhere on its own. I am frustrated at how incompetently these issues are dealt with. This happens often enough that it should not take this much navel gazing to come up with a plan. It is about time someone realizes that it needs to be dealt with right away or it becomes a big problem.The last time a car ended up on the beach after the landslide by Seahurst we had car parts washing up on the beach for months.