The province's police watchdog is investigating after a vehicle was reportedly driven off of a cliff into Lake Erie.
The Ontario Provincial Police say on Friday around 4:43pm, an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle on Springfield Rd. in Elgin County. When the officer turned to conduct a roadside stop, a package was seen being thrown from the vehicle. The officer then stopped to retrieve the package.
While attempting to re-locate the vehicle, the officers was contacted by a citizen who said the vehicle had been driven over a cliff at the end of Springfield Rd., ending up in Lake Erie, east of Port Bruce.
Police have since located the the fully submerged vehicle in the lake, with the OPP engaged in what is being described Saturday afternoon as a recovery operation.
The OPP has since notified the Ontario's Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which is now investigating the incident. The SIU conducts criminal investigations into incidents involving police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault.
The SIU reported in a news release Saturday afternoon that the vehicle was registered to a 57-year-old man. It is not known if the owner was the one driving the vehicle.