Crews remove a BMW from the Androscoggin River on Thursday afternoon in Lewiston. There was no one inside the car, and no body was found in subsequent searches. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — City crews pulled a BMW out of the Androscoggin River on Thursday morning after the vehicle was spotted submerged by a passerby. 

Crews remove a BMW from the Androscoggin River on Thursday afternoon in Lewiston. There was no one inside the car, and no body was found in subsequent searches. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Police and fire crews were called to the area off Island Avenue, near Main and Canal streets, about 10:30 a.m. after the vehicle was spotted. 

After divers entered the water a couple hours later, they found the light colored 4-door BMW submerged. There was no one inside the car, and no body was found in subsequent searches. 

Towing crews removed the car about 12:45 p.m. 

The matter of how the car got into the river was still being investigated later Thursday. It appeared that the vehicle had rolled through a chain-link fence before it crashed into the water. 

Rescuers respond Thursday to a report of a car in the Androscoggin River off Island Avenue near Main Street and Canal Street in Lewiston. A BMW was found submerged and removed, and no one was found in or around it. It appeared that the vehicle had rolled through a chain-link fence before it crashed into the water. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal