Stolen Nissan 240SX from 1992 Pulled From Virginia Lake During Police Training Exercise

A car reported stolen in 1992 was discovered submerged in Lake Gaston, Virginia, during a training exercise by the Virginia State Police’s Search and Rescue team. Utilizing side-sonar equipment, the team stumbled upon the 1990 Nissan 240 SX on Monday morning, close to the Steel Bridge Boat Landing near Route 1 in Bracey.

The vehicle, stolen from Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) in North Carolina over three decades ago, on July 4, 1992, was not the target of the search exercise. “At this time, there’s no information that the vehicle was involved in a crime…other than having been stolen,” stated Corinne Geller, a Virginia State Police representative. This discovery was made purely by chance as the team was not actively searching for the vehicle.

Matthew Demien, public relations manager for the Virginia State Police, remarked on the vehicle’s condition, indicating it had likely been under water for the entire duration since its theft. A special agent with the Virginia State Police Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) Program is currently investigating to identify the owner and gather further information about the car’s mysterious journey to the bottom of Lake Gaston, more than 140 miles from its last known location.

The initial investigation into the car’s theft was conducted by law enforcement at Fort Bragg in 1992. With the vehicle now recovered, questions arise about why and how the Nissan ended up submerged in a Virginia lake, far from where it was reported stolen. As the Virginia State Police continue their follow-up on this cold case, this peculiar discovery highlights the unexpected ways in which long-lost items can resurface, providing closure to unresolved cases and sparking new inquiries into past events.

Shawn Henry

Administrator

Shawn Henry has spent years writing about cars, and it shows—not in a resume kind of way, but in how he talks about them. He's the type who'll notice the weird trim option nobody remembers and actually know why it mattered. At Backfire News, he covers pretty much the whole spectrum: off-road trucks and trail builds, performance cars, racing, and the collector market. He's comfortable getting into the technical weeds, but he never forgets that most people read about cars because cars are fun, not because they want a spec sheet. His beat runs from classic and collector vehicles to overlanding culture, modified performance builds, new automotive tech, and the industry news that actually affects what ends up in your driveway. Mostly, though, Shawn thinks the best car stories are about people—the builds they pour money into, the road trips, the communities that form around a shared obsession. That's the stuff he likes writing about, and it's what you'll find in his work here.

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