Warwick police hunt thieves who dumped stolen car in Leslie Dam

New details have emerged about how a stolen car was found submerged in the Warwick dam with nearly a full tank of petrol.

It took emergency crews several hours to salvage the wreckage of a stolen car submerged metres underwater in Leslie Dam. Photo: Madison Mifsud-Ure / Warwick Daily News

Police are on the hunt for thieves who stole a car from Toowoomba on Sunday before dumping it in Warwick’s Leslie Dam days later.

Warwick police acting officer-in-charge Cameron Slater said police found tread marks leading into the dam, close-by to where fishermen spotted the car on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s hard to say whether (the car) was pushed or driven into the water as there’s quite a drop between the bank and the dam,” he said.

He said no property was found inside the car.

Warwick police Detective Michael Hauff told the Daily News on Wednesday the fuel from the car had spilt into the Condamine River, which could potentially impact wildlife.

It took emergency crews several hours to salvage the wreckage on Wednesday afternoon, with the car submerged metres underwater.

Sergeant Slater said the silver Nissan Maxima, with a 230ZTS number plate, was stolen from a West Street property in Toowoomba between midnight Saturday and 7.30am on Sunday.

“The offenders accessed the ignition somehow, but no one saw or heard anything. There were no witnesses,” he said.

The damage to the Nissan Maxima which occurred during retrieval. Photo: Madison Mifsud-Ure / Warwick Daily News

Sergeant Slater said it was still unclear whether the offenders were from Toowoomba or Warwick.

He said investigations into the incident were still ongoing with police scouring CCTV footage and looking for suspects who may have been in the area at the time of the car dumping.

If you have seen this car or have seen suspicious activity since Sunday morning, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Warwick police on 4660 4444.