News release

Recovered stolen vehicle submerged in Nicola Lake

April 5, 2025 - Merritt, BC, British Columbia
From: Merritt RCMP

Content

During the early evening of Friday April 4th, a paddleboarder located a vehicle fully submerged in Nicola Lake just off shore from the rest area boat launch. Frontline officers attended the scene and confirmed, in fact, that a black SUV sat at the bottom of the lake about 100 feet from the shoreline.

The "E" Division Underwater Recovery Team attended the next day, Saturday April 5th, and completed a recovery of the vehicle, a black 2019 Land Rover Range Rover. Upon the vehicle being brought to the shoreline and identified, it was determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Surrey, BC.

Currently, it is not known exactly how the vehicle made its way into the lake and the Merritt RCMP are requesting any information that the public may have regarding this stolen vehicle investigation. "The Merritt RCMP are requesting any information from the public that may assist this investigation in an effort to determine a timeline of when the vehicle entered the lake and who may be responsible" says Cst. Blake Chursinoff of the Merritt RCMP.

Anyone with information regarding the black Land Rover is asked to call the Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262 referencing file number 2025-1500.

Contacts