An attempt to have some fun with a used car with a cut-off top turned tragic Friday night when a man apparently drowned in a small lake north of Greeley.
Two men in their 20s intentionally drove the vehicle, reportedly just bought, into the lake that's surrounded by gravel pits about a mile north of where 21st Avenue ends.
"They were attempting some kind of a stunt," said Dale Lyman of Union Colony Fire/Rescue Authority. "They had planned to drive this vehicle into a small lake."
The car quickly submerged when they drove into the water about 9:15 p.m. at 415 N. 21st Ave.
"When they were exiting the vehicle and coming up out of the water, one of the parties encountered some kind of problems and was panicking," Lyman said. "The other one tried to assist him and wasn't able to do so."
The man swam to shore and called for help.
The identities of the men have not yet been released.
Dive crews from Union Colony/Fire Rescue Authority quickly plunged into the water attempting to find the man still in the water. Rescue workers believed he drowned.
Divers found the vehicle completely submerged, but they hadn't located the victim by press time. The search turned from a rescue to a recovery operation.
Patsy Fuentes, who lives nearby the scene, said her son was with the men at the lake. He didn't go into the water with his friends, she said.
"He told them that was a bad idea and not to do it," Fuentes said.
She said he told her the car was purchased on Friday for about $300 and that the men cut the top off it.
"They intentionally drove it in the lake," Fuentes said. "One came out and the other didn't."