In a city that has been around as long as Portland, Maine has been, there's bound to be some secrets buried beneath. Some of those secrets are fun and interesting like underground bowling alleys existed beneath parking lots.

But other things revealed over time can be a bit more concerning.

That includes photos of an overturned, buried automobile shared on Reddit by PortlandPatriot, where more questions remain than there are answers available.

The photos were taken near the Eastern Promenade in Portland on a beach that is visible from Exit 8 on I-295. Because of an active nor'easter season over the ocean, it appears the strength of the tides has revealed an overturned automobile stuck deep in the sand and mud of the beach.

Within the comments of the Reddit post, it's mentioned that there's also a safe not too far from the automobile.

Naturally, people wondered aloud, was this a bank robbery gone wrong? A robbery and a grisly end to an unsolved crime?

Reddit via PortlandPatriot
Reddit via PortlandPatriot
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It may take time to answer those loaded questions. But there also could be a simpler explanation. According to Maine Memory Network, more than a century ago, this area of Portland was used as a dumping ground and landfill. Finding cars and a safe amongst other items over time would be totally reasonable. It's not a sexy answer to the lingering questions but it could end up being the most realistic one.

The poster on Reddit did contact the Portland Police Department to further investigate the automobile and who it may have belonged to.

We'll update this story further when information becomes available.

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