Warren Township police investigating after car found in Mahoning River
Authorities with the Warren Township Police Department are investigating after a vehicle was discovered partially submerged in the Mahoning River.
The vehicle was found near the bridge at the Nelson Mosier Road and Park Road intersection in Warren Township.
Fire Chief Joseph Natali told 21 News that he was made aware of the vehicle on Thursday and it seems to have been in the river for "some time."
"It's got some rust to it. The plates not coming back to anything. It's an Ohio plate and for some reason it's not being found," he said. "The windows are full of sludge so we can't determine so usually that indicates something has been in the water for quite a while."
A dive team got to the scene around noon Friday. A tow truck was later brought to the scene, and investigators are still working on tracing the plate number attached to the vehicle.
The river is the same body of water where the Leavittsburg dam is being removed. Natali suspects more cars and items will surface as the water line continues to go down because of the removal.
"Probably boats, old boats, cars probably some four wheelers, dirt bikes stuff like that bikes, regular bikes," he said.
Warren Township trustees viciously fought removing the dam knowing cars like this would be uncovered. If an item that’s not part of an investigation surfaces Trumbull County MetroParks said it’s up to the nearest property owner to clean it up.
"We have residents along the river some are younger some of them are very elderly so I don’t know how you can ask an elderly person that’s maybe been there and on a fixed income that it’s their responsibility," Ed Anthony, a Warren Township Trustee said about the burden on residents for cleanup.
Some living near the water aren’t only worried about things like cars but what toxins could be in the sediment that’s now exposed.
"That opens up basically a pandora's box for our community that has had the nightmare of environmental issues in the past," Deb Roth Warren Township resident said.
The trustees are trying to secure grants to get help with the clean up on the river. Anthony said they won’t know exactly how much help they’ll need until the summer when other items have a chance to surface.
"This is going to be a trying year for us," Anthony said.
