The truck that drove into the Missouri River on January 26th has been tentatively identified as a vehicle stolen from a Bismarck resident.
The vehicle is believed to be a red 1998 Chevrolet G10 pickup that was reported stolen from the 600 block of North 10th Street sometime between 8:00 PM on January 26th and 8:33 AM on January 27th. The vehicle is registered to a 55 year old Bismarck woman.
At the time the truck was stolen there was an orange toolbox with tools attached to the vehicle. On Wednesday January 29th, someone in Mandan reported seeing an object frozen in the river. This turned out to be an orange toolbox. At about 2:47 PM the Bismarck Rural Fire Ice Rescue Team was called to assist the Burleigh County Sheriff Department Dive Rescue Team. Fire Ice Rescue Team personnel were able to go onto the ice and retrieve some tools from this toolbox. The owner of the tools has identified them as coming from the stolen truck.
On Thursday January 30th, an employee of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department saw a license plate on the ice out on the river. At about 10:30 AM the Bismarck Rural Fire Ice Rescue Team was able to retrieve the license plate. The license plate is registered to this stolen red pickup.
On January 26th at 8:29 PM Bismarck Police were dispatched to 1700 River Road for a report of a truck that drove out onto the river broke through the ice. The witness did not see anyone in the truck at the time it went through the ice. A maroon four door car, possibly a Dynasty was seen leaving the scene southbound on River Road at a high rate of speed.
Burleigh County Sheriff’s Dive and Rescue Team was called to the scene. Due to the severe weather, high winds and dangerous low temperatures, and the belief that no occupant was in the truck, the use of the dive team to attempt to recover the vehicle from the river at that time was deferred, until such time as it can be safely attempted.