"PENTACAR" UPDATE

"PENTACAR" UPDATE
The Frustrating Fraud
February 25 2008 2am
update 2/29 12am

Previously I had decided, based on a lead first offered by a fellow LCF member, that the mysterious “Pentacar” photo was probably taken just a ways north of the Pentagon. I became curious after seeingthis damaged car supposedly near the Pentagon on 9/11, as presented by Mark Roberts (aka Gravy), whom I asked about source and info to no immediate avail. About a week ago I received an e-mail from fellow JREFfer “Mangoose” alerting me:

“I know the source of the "Pentacar" photo. Gravy must have found it at the Here is New York site (http://hereisnewyork.org/index2.asp), just type "8029" in the search box. My copy of the photo was downloaded in 2002, so it has been at the site for at least that long.”

I immediately checked and there it is. No recent hoax it would seem, but a legit and long-available piece of evidence I’d just never seen before. There are no credits or info attached, just a tag number - 8029. But at least now I know who I can ask for more info, though it seems they’re understaffed, so I’ll just look at what’s there for any corroboration. There are precious few clues to help us confirm the suspected location of the damaged car. Mangoose suggested:

“Also, check out #8026-8028. The HINY site often lumps together photos from the same photographer, and these three photos are clearly from the same person, and they immediately precede the photo in question. They are also from the area on Rt. 27 north of the Pentagon, as suspected in the blog, but #8028 appears to have been further away from the building than #8029 (if the identification of the location in the blog is correct). If it was taken by the same photographer on the same walk down Rt. 27, it also would have been taken within the first hour after the attack -- as the other photos were taken then as well.”

I’m done for now with analyzing this stash for clues to the Pentacar’s location, and it seems more complex than that. There is some kind of pattern at work but I can’t discern it. Several pictures from the 7000s also seem to fit the general area of north of the Pentagon, including the two closest to the location I've tagged. Some in the 8000s seem out-of-order and some others seem to be missing from the sequence. Among the photos of interest, which can be found also by entering their numbers:

7717 – Nearest view – south end of the bridge the car may be just south of, looking south. Unfortunately it’s panned off to the left and the area in question is just off-frame.
7774 –Near view – north end of the same bridge in 7717. Not entirely clear at this resolution but promising - see below.
8026 - entrance to north parking lot – no clues.
8027 – entrance to north parking lot – no clues.
8028 – near an underpass/bridge nearly a mile north of impact. No direct clues.

Here are many of the shots mapped out by my reckoning:
And here is a crop of 8029 compared to a crop of 7774 (contrast and saturation adjusted), with a highlighted area across the bridge. Is that the Pentacar? Actually I think not. Perspective is tricky here, but I think the spot I'm looking for is just a bit further back than that car. I'd say I'm done here, but did get an additional excellent lead from an anonymous commenter. I have a possible name now (previously published, indirectly, but barely mentioned) for the owner of that car, and since this is an interesting case, I'll be looking a bit deeper. The commentary seemed not to want the info published, and I relish the idea of a secret here, so that lead is secret at the moment.