water. reporter: the yellow car was first seen flying across the ice on sunday afternoon in the town along the river. definitely a wild day in the quiet village. that s for sure. reporter: the car managed to cross a considerable stretch of the river unscathed. that is, until it hit a patch of much thinner ice, according to ottawa police. from where it is, there were all these pylons. it s like the weakest spot in the lake. she came from, like, a long way down the lake. she was driving for a while. reporter: one neighbor told cnn that the first thing she heard was the car. something unusual for the area. then she heard the ice crack and saw the car start to sink and quickly called 911. she s on top of the car. she s going in. hurry up, doug. reporter: neighbors scrambling as the car takes a nosedive, grabbing a kayak and running to help the driver before her car went under. i was entangling the rope.