The Baltimore Fire Department sent divers into the Inner Harbor Wednesday morning after they say a woman forgot to put her vehicle in park and it drifted into the water.

No one was in the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer when it slipped beneath the gray waters, the woman told emergency responders. Baltimore Fire spokesperson Kevin Cartwright said the department as a rule sends divers to investigate every time a vehicle is submerged in water to verify no one is trapped.

A small crowd of firefighters, police and other onlookers gathered between Pier IV and V to watch the search and rescue team. A diver marked the car’s location with a small yellow buoy a few yards from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 37.

Fire crews cleared the scene around 9 a.m. and Baltimore Police dispatched an underwater recovery team.

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A car went into the Harbor between Piers 4 and 5 in Baltimore City on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Divers prepared to go into the water on Pratt Street.
A car went into the Harbor between Piers IV and V in Baltimore on Wednesday. Divers prepared to go into the water near Pratt Street. (Zuri Berry/The Baltimore Banner)

The incident follows several other notable emergencies on the water this season. In January, the dive team retrieved a woman from freezing cold water who was later resuscitated, to the surprise of some first responders.

Then two boats caught fire in Canton’s Anchorage Marina a few days later, causing one to sink to the harbor floor.

Emergency responders again managed to resuscitate a man in early February after he jumped off of a bridge and a dive and rescue team pulled him from the water.