HOBART | A stolen 2003 Oldsmobile Alero caused a stir at Hidden Lake subdivision Friday morning when someone purposely pushed it onto the community lake, police said.

Both police and firefighters, including members of its diving team, converged on Edgewater Drive following a report of a submerged vehicle in the water. The car was not submerged and no one was inside.

The car, which shows Chicago ownership, was reported stolen to the Gary Police Department at around 10:30 a.m., two hours after the vehicle was recovered in Hobart, police Lt. Steve Houck said.

The car was pushed off an embankment near the subdivision's tennis court and continued sliding northbound across the frozen lake, stopping on the other side, Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve McKowen said.

Houck said the car, which sustained front-end damage during the incident, was found with a jack between the gas pedal and the seat with the keys in the ignition.

"Someone did it on purpose," he said of the vehicle's trip across the ice.

Resident Debbie Kutzer said she had taken her daughter to school and was curious as to why there were so many police and firefighters inside her subdivision of some 130 homes.

"It's usually very quiet," she said.