In a head-scratching whodunit that’s gripped commuters and police alike, the citizens of Toronto still have no idea how or why a blue car, seemingly stripped of its innards and licence plates, was hung from a bridge near the Don Valley Parkway Wednesday.

It’s a caper that’s left the public perplexed and police annoyed — with officials calling it a case of mischief that, although it didn’t pose a safety risk, tied up emergency resources as multiple police officers and firefighters were called to the bridge at Millwood Rd.

After first ruling out a movie stunt, the police asked the public to share any information they may have about what they believe was a prank.

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By Wednesday afternoon, there were still far more questions than answers.

How do you suspend a car five storeys off the ground? Is parking really that expensive in Toronto? Perhaps most of all, what does it all mean?











The Star turned to the experts — a wiley group of known pranksters long-affiliated with engineering students at the University of Toronto, called the Brute Force Committee.

Their leader, known each year by the pen name Mario Baker, distanced the group from the dangling automobile caper, saying they always took credit for their pranks, which have included erecting a 10-metre-long train outside city hall with the words “U of T Gravy Train” scrawled on the engine.

But in what Baker called an “inconvenient coincidence,” the group’s annual joke newspaper from last month published a timeline of pranks over the 2017-18 year that, at the tail end, shows an image of a car next to three question marks. “It is in fact in reference to something else in the works, although I’d rather not ruin the surprise,” he told the Star in an email.

“It’s possible that there was some inspiration from student pranks, but certainly not from anything my organization has been involved with before,” Baker said.

Seeing the news “both amused and confused” him, he said, adding that large-scale pranks have had “some role” in the culture of university students — particularly, engineering students — for some time.

“I’ve heard of cars being hung from bridges by UBC students out west, so if today’s news is indeed some kind of mischief, there is at least some precedent for analogous acts.”

Indeed, the CBC reported in 2001 that a group of University of British Columbia engineering students had hung a Volkswagen Beetle from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. But looking at reports Wednesday, Baker said there appeared to be “key differences” in the methodology used.

“It appears that the shell was elevated mechanically from the ground, rather than lowered from the side of the bridge, as it has been with car pranks in the past,” he said.

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“As a final word, I would say that the most important thing about this strange occurrence is that it looked as if it was done with significant caution,” he added, noting the “suspended sedan” appeared to be away from pedestrian paths and hung with “appropriate equipment.”

Multiple officers and patrol cars were on-scene Wednesday trying to figure out what, exactly, had happened. Emergency services had received their first call just after 7 a.m.

Fourteen firefighters responded to the scene, as well as the police presence.

They’d initially thought the stunt was part of a movie shoot. But contacting the city, police learned that there was no such movie shoot authorized. City spokesperson Shane Gerard confirmed to the Star the city did not issue a filming permit. In the past, Toronto police have tweeted out information regarding any movie shoots in the city ahead of time.

From atop the bridge in the late morning, passersby peered over the rail, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hanging car. Some popped out of work to try to figure out what was going on. Cyclists on the parkland trails below could be seen stopping, dismounting, and chatting with the multiple officers assessing the situation.

People, both amused and confused, posted pictures of the vehicle on social media. John Gilmour tweeted, “Did they get a permit or can anyone just leave a car unattended dangling from beneath a bridge in Toronto?”