Rocky Mount, N.C. — Edgecombe County authorities pulled a stolen Range Rover from the Tar River near Rocky Mount Wednesday afternoon.

Some fishermen spotted the SUV partially submerged around 2:45 p.m. and called 911, said Sheriff James Knight. The vehicle, which was reported stolen in 2007, had been vandalized – key marks covered it from bumper to bumper and a profane word was scratched into the hood.

No one was in the SUV. 

Knight said he believes whoever tried to ditch the Range Rover broke out all of the windows before crashing it down a 25-foot embankment into the river.

"It looks like they were trying to get rid of the vehicle. They thought the water depth was deeper than what it was," Knight said. "They broke out the windows so it would go ahead and sink, but the tip end of it remained out of the water."

The sheriff's office is investigating.