A Southern California man has gained attention for his unusual hobby: using Google Maps to locate abandoned cars.
Known online as “Desert Adventures,” the anonymous man uses the popular map site to locate abandoned vehicles in remote areas, including along mountain roads and off-road trails.
“I started searching for cars on Google Maps in 2015 and have found about 4,000 vehicles so far,” he said. Newsweek“I usually look for cars on mountain roads and old off-road trails. It can be tricky, but I use three different maps, so sometimes it’s easier to spot a car.”
Often, when searching for abandoned vehicles, the online explorer films the process and shares it on TikTok where he has more than 10,000 followers.
@desertadventures_/TikTok
Viewers are often intrigued and interested in each abandoned vehicle, sharing their suspicions and thoughts about the abandoned cars.
“He looks like he ran through a fire at some point,” one commenter said on a recent video. While others are even sharing requests and ideas for where the TikToker could look next.
“It would be awesome to know the story behind these vehicles one day,” another commenter said.
The process doesn’t end with vehicle detection. Whenever possible, he ventures to verify the discovery in person. “I will check all the cars in person, unless I can’t get to the vehicle. But most of the time, I fly my drone to check and make sure everything is clear,” he added.
What began as an interest in abandoned cars has given Desert Adventures another purpose: helping locate missing people. He regularly reports vehicles to authorities if they contain identifying information, such as license plates. “The only reason I do this is to look for missing people. I haven’t solved a missing person case yet, but I know the time will come,” he said.
Part of the appeal of his content is the mystery that each abandoned vehicle represents. “A lot of people like my videos because everything is a mystery. You always wonder why this vehicle is there, but the average person would never check it out. You could drive past a car that fell off a cliff every day and not have a clue,” he said.
Earlier this year, a woman went viral for another use of Google Maps when she used it to look up photos of her old home.
The TikToker was heartbroken when she looked at the footage and saw a familiar face peering out of one of the downstairs windows: her first dog.
