Owner of Jeep left on Myrtle Beach during Hurricane Dorian finally explains viral mystery

A South Carolina man whose Jeep became the center of a viral mystery has finally come forward to explain how his red vehicle became stranded on Myrtle Beach amid raging tides caused by Hurricane Dorian.

After the forsaken Jeep became somewhat of an internet sensation, with media outlets and citizens flocking to the beach to take photos and videos of the car, its owner, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted WMBF to shed light on what happened.

The Jeep's owner told the outlet his cousin, who rides a motorcycle, borrowed his car in order to get around in the upcoming inclement weather. The man said his relative decided to take the Jeep onto Myrtle Beach on Sept. 5 "and take a quick video of the sunrise before the storm came."

However, the cousin's plan quickly turned catastrophic when he steered the vehicle into an area of saturated sand on the beach and became trapped. The distressed driver tried calling several people for help but conditions worsened until the vehicle was partially swallowed by the rising tide.

The Jeep owner told WMBF his cousin refused to tell him about the incident until officials came knocking on his door.

"He avoided me for a good hour or two because he didn’t know what to say and then police actually came to the house," he recalled. "And they said, 'Hey we found your Jeep on the beach.' Then I called (my cousin) and spoke to him and he told me exactly what happened."

"It's probably going to end up being totaled," he added of his beloved vehicle.

RELATED: Photos of Hurricane Dorian's aftermath: 

A towing company removed the damaged car from its watery grave "without incident" on Friday, the Myrtle Beach Police Department shared on Facebook.

An investigation into the impact the vehicle may have had on the shoreline is ongoing, authorities added.