Dorian Jeep garners Internet fame – and bagpipes – after being abandoned on Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH – Hurricane Dorian didn't need the Jeep to get to North Carolina's coast.

The storm left behind the car that was mysteriously abandoned on the Myrtle Beach shore early Thursday. It was towed away, by humans, just hours after sunrise.

The red Jeep Cherokee quickly gained an audience at the beach itself — and online, with Twitter transforming it into a tongue-in-cheek storm mascot.

Dozens braved the driving rain and blasts of winds to snap selfies with it. One even brought his bagpipes, honoring it with a somber rendition of "Amazing Grace."

A video, of course, was shared online. Oh, and there were at least two Dorian Jeep — as it's now called — Twitter accounts. One biography simply reads, "I like parking on the beach."

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Others took to their own accounts to make memes with the help of Jeep snaps and scenes from "The Little Mermaid" or "Cast Away."

People laughed partly because no one was hurt. No one had to be rescued. When Myrtle Beach Police Department arrived at the scene near 37th Avenue North, the car was alone. They had to leave it there until the hurricane passed, planning to wait until the clear skies of Friday to tow it away.

It remained there, wobbling in the waves at sunrise. As the storm marched on through North Carolina Friday, it's no longer a Dorian plaything.

Yet, it remained a welcomed and wacky distraction during a day that's become routine in storm-weary South Carolina.

Follow Carol Motsinger on Twitter: @carolemotsinger

This article originally appeared on The Greenville News: Hurricane Dorian: Jeep stuck on Myrtle Beach gains Internet fame