No one was inside a suspected stolen car found submerged in a lake in Newark's North Ward on Tuesday evening Newark officials said.
A dive team performing a training exercise in the Branch Brook Park Lake bumped came across a vehicle at the bottom of the dark, murky lake around 5:15 p.m.
Newark Firefighters, Essex County Sherrif's Officers and paramedics responded to Branch Brook Park Drive side of the lake to check for possible trapped occupants.
Police say the car was pulled from the water just before 6 p.m. and a search of the vehicle came back negative for victims.
According to authorities, the Toyota RAV4 LXE was reported stolen in March. A car fitting the same description occupied by suspects wanted for multiple armed robberies in Essex County. This included a vicious attack/beating that left a woman bloodied in Newark's Ironbound section in May.
Authorities have not announced an arrest of the suspects in these felonies.
The largest park in The City of Newark, Branch Brook Park is a county green space located in the North Ward of Newark, between the neighborhoods of Forest Hill and Roseville. A portion of the park is also located within the Township of Belleville.
The Essex County Sheriff's Office provides security for the park 24-hours a day. It is not clear how the car made it inside the lake.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.