A closeup of the barge that ran aground at Van Buren Point.

Van Buren residents now have a large piece of evidence on what a stormy Lake Erie night can do.

A barge, belonging to Ashton Marine out of Muskegon, Michigan, ran aground overnight. It’s stuck in the sand, about 10 feet offshore from a beach on the western side of Van Buren Point.

About a dozen curious morning strollers and dog-walkers gazed at the ship about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, as it bobbed gently in the waves.

A tugboat ran in circles perhaps 150 yards away, as workers apparently tried to figure out what to do next.

Ed Wilson, a Van Buren resident, told the OBSERVER, “Sometime during the middle of the night, a barge tore away from the boat carrying it.”

Curious people stare Wednesday morning at a barge that ran aground at Van Buren Point overnight.

He added, “I don’t think folks at Van Buren Point have seen anything like this in their lifetimes.”