La Crosse Dive Unit

Two Acura vehicles the area's dive rescue team found while training in the Mississippi River both had been reported stolen in the Twin Cities area, officials said.

The latest find came Saturday morning, when divers came across a submerged two-door 1996 red Acura Integra on its roof in the river, said La Crosse Dive Unit Team Leader Erwin Chavarri.

It was almost the same spot off the dock at Sportsman's Landing on the Minnesota side where divers had discovered a black, four-door Acura Sept. 29.

"It's all a riddle to me," Chavarri said. "We're not used to finding vehicles. It makes for a very fun and interesting training exercise."

The red Acura had less rust and zebra mussels than the first discovery, but Chavarri could not estimate how long it had been on the river bottom. 

The black Acura was reported stolen from St. Paul on Aug. 9, 2001, and the insurance company reimbursed the Houston County Sheriff's Department for recovery expenses, said Chief Deputy Scott Yeiter.

The red Acura was stolen from St. Paul in 1999, but its owner has not been located, he said. The sheriff's department is attempting to track down the insurance company for towing and recovery costs, Yeiter said.

The discoveries did not surprise Yeiter or Chavarri.

"I'm sure there are more vehicles down there," Chavarri said. "Just give us time to find them."

Rescue diver Terry Niebeling was carefully picking his way underwater Tuesday evening in the Mississippi River, trying to locate a lost radio, when a large object loomed in the murky depths.

"I basically just ran into the side of it," Niebeling said.

It was a black, four-door Acura, half on its roof, sunk 22 feet down in the river and encrusted with zebra mussels.

"It is the biggest discovery the team has ever had," Niebeling said.

The La Crosse Dive Unit had used the search for a La Crescent Fire Department hand-held radio - accidentally dropped off the dock at Sportsman's Landing on the Minnesota side - as a training exercise.

But when Niebeling signaled at 7:02 p.m. he'd found something much bigger about 30 feet off shore, "all of a sudden ... things get serious," said team leader Erwin Chavarri.

Thankfully, the car contained no body, bones or suspicious items when it was retrieved from the river.

The expired Minnesota license plates are not on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles, said Houston County Sheriff Douglas Ely. Authorities now hope the vehicle identification number will lead to the owner.

Ely's best guess is the car was stolen and dumped in the water.

Chavarri estimates it spent at least four years on the river bottom. Crayfish and mudpuppies spilled from the vehicle when it was towed to the riverbank.

"It's completely full of mud. It's gross. It stinks," Ely said.

The dive unit occasionally discovers submerged items during training, but nothing like Tuesday's find.

"Vehicles are very unique," Chavarri said.