‘Not something we endorse:’ Toronto police investigating dangling car ‘prank’

Toronto police are investigating what they believe was an elaborate prank after a burned-out car was found dangling from a bridge near a busy highway during the Wednesday morning rush hour.

The unusual sight of a blue sedan suspended from the underside of the Leaside Bridge drove much speculation online and from police themselves, who originally believed the hanging vehicle was part of a movie shoot.

But Const. Victor Kwong, who made the call to 911 during his morning commute, says police have now opened a “public mischief investigation” and charges could be laid.

“I was carpooling into work, and a passenger — actually it was my mother-in-law — was looking into the treed area of the Don River, and she noticed a car dangling there,” said Kwong. “I looked around, and sure enough it was there.”

Kwong said he called 911 out of concern for public safety, since the area underneath the dangling car included hiking trails that are popular with dog-walkers.

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When officers inspected the area, Kwong said they made an unusual discovery.

“Interestingly enough, it was already taped off when we got there,” he said, adding that the kind of yellow caution tape used could have been purchased at a department store.

He also noted that now is the time of year when universities let out for the summer, and it’s not unusual for graduating students to pull outlandish stunts.

“It definitely is not something that we endorse, and definitely something that we do not recommend,” said Kwong. “Any unauthorized access to bridges, to truss systems like that, could potentially impact the safety of many.”

Police sent out a news release Wednesday afternoon to appeal for information, saying the incident required “significant resources that were not available to attend to genuine emergency calls.”

Officers remained at the scene throughout Wednesday morning, preventing any oblivious hikers from passing underneath the dangling car, while fire crews worked to cut the vehicle down.

“Obviously someone had intentionally put it up there, because it was tied to a winch system,” said Capt. Adrian Ratushniak with Toronto Fire Services, who described the car as a four-door sedan similar to a Honda Civic.

He said crews managed to get the car on the ground just before 10 a.m. — about three hours after the initial call came in.

“I haven’t seen anything like this in 30 years,” Ratushniak said. “I’ve seen vehicles placed in unusual places. Over 30 years you see some strange things. But this one in particular? No.”

Toronto Mayor John Tory also weighed in on the incident.

“I was mystified as to how the car ended up there … I was just shaking my head in disbelief,” he told reporters.  “It’s just a lucky thing that it (was) dangling there, over something where there isn’t a developed neighbourhood or a school or a public park.”

If the dangling car turns out to have been a prank, it would not be without precedent — such incidents are almost annual tradition at the University of British Columbia’s engineering school.

Students there continue to find new and unusual places to stash a classic Volkswagen Beetle. In one instance, a Bug was suspended from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in February 2001.

Adam Burns, The Canadian Press