Floating Dutchman With Amphibious Car Chased Down German River By Local Cops
A Dutch family has triggered a police operation, after officers discovered them sailing on a car converted into a ship on a German river.
The police were puzzled after they saw the 54-year-old holidaymaker, his wife and their four children sailing with their self-made boat on the Schwarzer Regen river located in the town of Viechtach within the district of Regen in the German state of Bavaria.
According to local media, the officers received the report regarding a “strange vessel” that was about to enter the Hollensteinsee Lake, after which they immediately went on site to evaluate the situation at around 1pm on Friday (July 31).
After they saw the family sailing on Schwarzer Regen river with with the amphibious vehicle, the officers borrowed an electric boat from a private individual in order to chase down the rebellious group of people.
However, their chase soon got interrupted as their borrowed electric watercraft’s battery died and left them in the middle of the river, after which they called the Viechtach Water Rescue Service for help.
Along with the rescue service, officers finally managed to overtake the family’s ship near the Pirka village where they evaluated the strange vessel and realised it was environmentally-friendly since it ran on electricity instead of petrol as was initially expected.
However, despite the boat’s electric engine, the police told the family that motorized boats are generally not allowed on the river, after which the family stopped their trip and took their journey to the ground.
The police wrote a report for several violations of the water and shipping law and informed both the Public Prosecution Office and the district office about the case.
Nevertheless, the Dutch native and his ‘floating car’ were reportedly seen in the Danube River two days later as a six-day-long amphibious vehicle meeting with over 150 participants was held in the town of Vilshofen an der Donau located in the German district of Passau.
The 54-year-old man reportedly possessed all legal documents necessary for the meet-up.
