The crumpled, charred shell of a hatchback you see above is a Kia Spectra 5. It's tough to tell for sure, we know, because a thief drove the car into a sinkhole after ignoring barriers and closed road signs, leaving it upside down in flames on a section of Sandlake Road in Oregon following a landslide.
From what we can tell, this Kia fell victim to the whims of nefarious joyriders. According to a Facebook post from the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office published Monday, this car was stolen from the owner's house early in the morning on January 21. The exact time of the crash is unknown, but the Sheriff's office got a call around 8:00 am of a car "upside down and on fire" at this location. Upon arrival, authorities discovered the road-closed sign and barrier had been removed. Nobody was found with the car so there's no word regarding injuries.
The owner of the Kia lives about five miles from the crash site, according to the Sheriff's office. The person called police roughly an hour after the crash to report the car stolen, at which point they presumably learned the fate of their Spectra. Police say an investigation into the crash and theft is ongoing.
While car theft is certainly an issue everywhere, it seems Tillamook County has an "ongoing problem" with people removing road-closed signs and barriers. With the western side of the county literally perched on the Pacific coast in an area prone to landslides, we can't fathom why people would choose to ignore such warnings. We contacted the Sheriff's office seeking a bit more information on this, as joyriding on closed roads in an area with landslides next to the ocean is beyond our comprehension. Then again, stealing a Kia Spectra also boggles our minds.
If we uncover fresh information, we'll jump in with an update. In the meantime, if you're planning a scenic drive on Sandlake Rd in Tillamook County, just don't. Work crews should begin repairs by the end of the month, and won't be finished until March.
