Why A Frozen BMW Became A Local Attraction In Buffalo

The last few days in Western New York have brought us some pretty wild weather. From the Southtowns to the central city and the Northtowns, Mother Nature battered the Buffalo area with rain, snow, hurricane-force winds, and some lakeshore flooding, which served as a major reminder that no matter how much we prepare, the weather rules in Western New York.

As the people of the 716 start to get over all the impacts from the storms, which made our lives kind of stressful, things like flooding, downed trees, and thousands of Buffalonians being without power have kept us pretty busy lately. But now that we're starting to get back to normal, we're finding out a little more about some weird news that has caught the attention of many people all over the region.

As people were driving home from Orchard Park after watching the hometown Buffalo Bills lose a tough game at Highmark Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles, several people noticed an odd sight: a blue BMW parked in the parking lot near Hoak's Lakeshore Restaurant on Route 5 in Hamburg. Now, that itself isn't odd, but the car was sitting in the lot with all of its windows down in the middle of a snowstorm with winds whipping so dangerously that the Skyway and Thruway had to shut down.

Since those early late-night Sunday / early morning hours on Monday, December 29, 2025, this blue BMW was battered hard by the splashing Lake Erie waters, much of which ended up inside the car.

Now, the vehicle sits frozen, with several inches of thick lake ice on the inside, with the tires of the car frozen to the ground.

According to Hamburg Police, the car was reported stolen, and the owner lives in Buffalo, but so far, no attempts have been made to recover the vehicle.

The owner of Hoak's Restaurant, Kevin Hoak, spoke with WKBW-TV, and he talked about the steady stream of people who have come to check out the car, which has turned into a mini-tourist destination.

I was one of the many people who went to check it out. You can look at the photos I took below. It's a pretty fascinating sight to see.

Frozen BMW On Lake Erie Outside Of Buffalo

After a storm brought hurricane-force winds and a lake effect snow storm to Western New York, one unfortunate car was left near the shores of Lake Erie to feel the effects of Mother Nature. The car, with broken windows, is filled with lake water, which has since frozen, leaving the car severely damaged.

Gallery Credit: Ed Nice