UPDATE June 12 12:45 p.m.
A father-and-son from upstate New York told Boston TV station WCVB that the red SUV found submerged in the water off Grace Oliver’s Beach is theirs — and was stolen from outside their hotel in Raynham.
Sam Auletta, 14, told WCVB that he and his dad were in Raynham for a hockey tournament. They discovered their car was missing Saturday morning. All of Auletta’s hockey gear was in the SUV.
“It was crazy because you know I feel like this stuff only happens in movies,” Auletta said. “You know I see it in movies and stuff, but the fact that it actually happened to me and my dad. I still can’t process it; it’s crazy.”
The Current contacted Marblehead Police Chief Dennis King about the Aulettas, but did not immediately hear back.
UPDATE June 12, 10:30 a.m.
Police Chief Dennis King told the Current Friday morning, the “investigation is active. Detectives are working hard to identify the people responsible through all investigative avenues. Thank you to anyone that has provided information related to the case.”
UPDATE Wednesday, 2:55 p.m.
The red SUV partially submerged in water off Grace Oliver’s Beach is back on dry land after a several-hour effort by Marblehead Police, Salem Police Dive Team and others.
The car, with New York plates, was first reported in the water at 11:10 a.m. A preliminary investigation showed no one was inside the vehicle. The challenge then was to get it back to shore.
Police believe the car is linked to the vandalism at Marblehead High School’s Pipe Field overnight, when two cars apparently smashed through an access gate and drove on the field, leaving tire marks. Damage to the field is not significant, MPD wrote in a press release.
The vehicle submerged off Beacon Street matches the description of one of those vehicles, King said.
King is urging the public to share any information they may have about the Piper Field incident. Anyone who believes they have information that may assist the department’s investigation should contact the Marblehead Police Department at 781-631-1212, Detective Sgt. Sean Brady, sbrady@marbleheadma.gov, or School Resource Officer Sean Sweeney Jr., ssweeneyjr@marbleheadma.gov.
In addition to observing damage to the access gate of the field, officers found marks on the field that indicated vehicles had driven across it. The field did not sustain significant damage, according to police.
In a preliminary investigation, Marblehead Police determined that two vehicles were involved, and were able to get a description of both vehicles.
Marblehead Police, with assistance from the Marblehead harbormaster, immediately responded to the report of a vehicle submerged in the water off Grace Oliver’s Beach at about 11:10 a.m. on Wednesday. An initial examination of the vehicle determined it was unoccupied. The Salem Police Dive Team was requested to assist.
An investigation determined that the vehicle, which has New York license plates, had been reported stolen.
The investigation is being treated as a criminal matter, and police intend to issue charges, according to the Marblehead Police statement.
