MANSFIELD — Mansfield police Chief Jason Bammann confirmed no bodies were located inside of a truck recovered Friday night from the icy pond at North Lake Park.
It was initially unknown if anyone was inside the vehicle, which was submerged under a thick layer of ice.
“It was the outcome we wanted,” Bammann told Richland Source after the nearly seven-hour recovery effort reached its conclusion.
He said the truck was reported stolen in 2023 to Mansfield police.
Below are photos taken Friday night at North Lake Park. Credit: Hayden Gray
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The truck was originally picked up by the sonar equipment of fishermen on the pond around noon, according to the chief. He said officers promptly responded to the park, arriving himself around 12:20 p.m.
“We always treat each situation for the worst case (scenario),” Bammann said.
Local law enforcement blocked off all entrances to the park as emergency vehicles from Mansfield police and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene. Dive team members from RCSO entered the water just after 3:30 p.m.
EARLIER REPORTING FROM NORTH LAKE PARK
Officials had to cut through about 4 inches of ice to create access to the truck and estimated it was submerged in anywhere from 10 to 12 feet of water. A backhoe and crime scene unit van were also on standby. Shelly Smith and Sons was the towing company on scene.
Divers ventured back in the frigid water around 5 p.m. and worked to attach the truck to the wrecker cables until it was ultimately pulled to the surface around 6:25 p.m.
Bammann said he was proud of the efforts of RCSO and its dive team, who worked tirelessly in the bitter cold conditions.
The chief said it was the first call out for three of the divers who assisted Friday.
Most responders began departing from the scene around 7 p.m.
Below are more photos and a video taken Friday during the recovery of a stolen truck submerged in the North Lake Park pond. Credit: Hayden Gray
