Nicholas Feliciano got a message from a friend around noon on Thursday with a photo of a red 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee stuck on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina getting pummeled by waves. Feliciano zoomed in on the photo and realised that the vehicle was his. He had lent it to his cousin, Joe Farrar, a few weeks before. Minutes after getting the message, Feliciano said, police knocked on his door to tell him they had found his Jeep.
Farrar was driving on the beach early on Thursday, trying to get a picture of the sunrise before Hurricane Dorian hit, Feliciano said on Saturday. As he was turning, Farrar got stuck in a ditch in the sand and left the vehicle in search of help, but all of the towing firms he called said they couldn't get to the vehicle before the hurricane was expected to strike. Someone noticed the abandoned vehicle on the beach and called police.
Soon after that officers reached the beach, according to a police report, but with the hurricane nearly upon them, they determined it was too dangerous for a tow truck to remove the Jeep. Photos of the stranded vehicle started to make the rounds online and in news coverage, and by afternoon a local TV station had set up a live feed. So began #JeepWatch2019.
People began creating #DorianJeep memes, superimposing the vehicle on screenshots from films like "Cast Away" and "Titanic." As viewers began to monitor the Jeep, Joshua Kipp and Timothy Kipp - brothers who live near the beach - hatched a plan to give it a proper send-off. "I was thinking 'Hey, wouldn't it be funny if we gave it its last rites?'" Joshua said.
They noticed a lull in the downpour, so they took off with bagpipes to find the Jeep. Timothy recorded a video as his brother, standing next to the vehicle, played "Amazing Grace" and "Taps" on the bagpipes. The video has been viewed and shared hundreds of times. "We never thought it would go viral," Timothy said. "I was going to be excited if we got 200 likes." The Jeep was removed from the beach on Friday about 24 hours after it was stranded.
Feliciano said the vehicle was a total loss because of the salt water damage. He also said some of the windows of the Jeep were smashed and some parts stolen.
Farrar was driving on the beach early on Thursday, trying to get a picture of the sunrise before Hurricane Dorian hit, Feliciano said on Saturday. As he was turning, Farrar got stuck in a ditch in the sand and left the vehicle in search of help, but all of the towing firms he called said they couldn't get to the vehicle before the hurricane was expected to strike. Someone noticed the abandoned vehicle on the beach and called police.
Soon after that officers reached the beach, according to a police report, but with the hurricane nearly upon them, they determined it was too dangerous for a tow truck to remove the Jeep. Photos of the stranded vehicle started to make the rounds online and in news coverage, and by afternoon a local TV station had set up a live feed. So began #JeepWatch2019.
People began creating #DorianJeep memes, superimposing the vehicle on screenshots from films like "Cast Away" and "Titanic." As viewers began to monitor the Jeep, Joshua Kipp and Timothy Kipp - brothers who live near the beach - hatched a plan to give it a proper send-off. "I was thinking 'Hey, wouldn't it be funny if we gave it its last rites?'" Joshua said.
They noticed a lull in the downpour, so they took off with bagpipes to find the Jeep. Timothy recorded a video as his brother, standing next to the vehicle, played "Amazing Grace" and "Taps" on the bagpipes. The video has been viewed and shared hundreds of times. "We never thought it would go viral," Timothy said. "I was going to be excited if we got 200 likes." The Jeep was removed from the beach on Friday about 24 hours after it was stranded.
Feliciano said the vehicle was a total loss because of the salt water damage. He also said some of the windows of the Jeep were smashed and some parts stolen.
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