Group Finds Abandoned Hyundai Palisade Near Joshua Tree. Then They Take A Closer Look, And See Something Strange: ‘Really Freaked Me Out’

Driving in the desert can be pretty unforgiving. There’s just a lot that can go wrong in the desert. Even if you’ve outfitted your car with all the best and newest gear, Mother Nature can randomly come through and rock your world.

Consequently, car crashes are a known problem in National Parks. Plus, if one manages to survive a desert car crash, they can be left in a place where summer temperatures reach daytime highs of 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still, many people decide to brave the rough terrain and high temperatures to take their car into the desert. A September 2025 report claimed that over 1.4 million people visited Death Valley in 2024 alone, and Joshua Tree has averaged around 3 million visitors per year since 2021.

Now, a TikToker has gone viral after discovering the aftermath of a Joshua Tree visit that apparently went wrong. What happened here?

What Happened To This Car?

In a video with over 884,000 views, TikTok user Grace Huseman (@geologist.grace) shows what appears to be an abandoned car. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be a Hyundai Palisade HTRAC AWD made after the year 2023. The car’s license plate format indicates it is from before early 2026.

“Coming across an abandoned car in the middle of nowhere,” Huseman writes in the video’s overlay text. She describes the location as “far outside of the Joshua Tree boundary on an unmaintained road.”

The tire on the front left of the car is flat.

“Looks like a rental car,” she adds. “It’s definitely totaled and it got stuck here…Surprised they made it this far.”

Gazing inside the car, it appears to be full of personal items. There are multiple bags of uneaten food, a blanket, and equipment for a dog, including a kennel.

Looking near the car, Huseman noticed something bizarre. Next to the car was a rubber glove, and under and around the wheel were a group of dead animals.

“The pile of animals really freaked me out,” she writes in the video’s caption.

In the comments under the same post on Instagram, Huseman clarified that she considered the car “totaled” as getting it back would be more trouble than the value of the car. She also wrote that the area was remote and far down Eagle Mountain Road, and that it had already been reported.

“We were only the second people to come by it in a weeks time,” she writes in a comment.

A Possible Explanation

The most likely explanation here isn’t sinister. Instead, it’s more than likely that the drivers of the car simply ventured further down a desert road than they should have, got a flat or had another issue, then left the car to get help, only taking essentials.

To start, the vehicle itself is not really suited to this kind of driving. The National Park Service states that some roads in this area require a high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicle. The Hyundai Palisade’s AWD and 8-inch ground clearance may not have been enough for the roads.

This may also explain why there were so many things left in the car. The people in the car may have realized that they were in trouble and left to get help with only the essentials. Upon finding help, they may have realized that getting back to their car would have been more trouble than the value of their items.

Regarding the animals, this is a bit more mysterious—but there are also logical explanations.

For example, the car was filled with food and other goods. It’s possible that animals approached the car in search of food, then died for unrelated reasons. Alternatively, some scavenging animals may have used the shade or cover of the car to store their findings.

What Should You Do If You Find An Abandoned Vehicle In The Park?

If you’re far off-trail and notice an abandoned car, it’s best to inform park guides of your discovery.

In cases like the one shown in Huseman’s video, it may be that there’s nothing the park rangers can do about it. However, one should still submit a tip to park rangers. If possible, one can use their phone or another device to send the exact GPS location as well. If the location is outside of the park rangers’ jurisdiction, the tip may need to be submitted to another agency.

For those who are unsure what to do if their own car gets stuck, the NPS states that “Staying with your car is the most important thing you can do in the event of an emergency. While not often, people have died from exposure trying to walk back to the paved roads.”

BroBible reached out to NPS via website contact form, BLM Palm Springs South Coast Field Office via email, and Huseman via email and Instagram direct message.