Sonar Helps Recover Stolen Dodge Ram From Bottom of Lake

Dodge Ram was stolen in the fall of October 2025, and later found by a fisherman who spotted it on his sonar system.

Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of stolen vehicles recovered from various bodies of water, which is clearly a favorite dump spot for thieves. The reasons behind this are simple – it can take months, years, or even decades before those vehicles are discovered, but in recent times, it’s becoming easier thanks to the use of sonar. There are quite a few folks out there that take on such tasks as a hobby, as well as police departments employing sonar to find stolen vehicles, and it’s exactly what helped locate this Dodge Ram recently.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department in Michigan, this Dodge Ram was reported stolen out of that same county back in October 2025, after which it was spotted in Kalamazoo. Leads went cold after that, however, at least, until a detective received a call from a citizen who was out fishing on Wolf Lake in Almena Township. That fisherman discovered a mysterious looking object on his Garmin LiveScope sonar system, and wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at.

That same man provided police with photos that he captured from the forward-facing sonar system, which appeared to show a vehicle submerged in 25 feet of water. Thus, the Sheriff’s Department contacted the Van Buren County Dive Team, provided them with the location of the vehicle and the images, and let them take over from there.

Shortly thereafter, the Dive Team headed out to Wolf Lake and located the Dodge Ram, which was indeed the truck reported stolen months prior. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team assisted in that operation by providing overhead aerial support and safety monitoring for personnel on the water, making this a true team effort.

Unfortunately for the owner, since it had been sitting under water for around six months, the Dodge Ram isn’t exactly in running and driving condition anymore – rather, police say that it’s more of a “habitat for aquatic life” at this point. It’s still unclear who stole the pickup in the first place, but this investigation remains open until they’re found.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.