Cherng Talay Police were alerted to the incident through posts on social media. Officers arrived at the scene to find the Ford Everest, bearing red licence plates issued in Bangkok, still on sand further up the beach away from the water.
However, officers found tyre tracks clearly showing that the vehicle had been driven on the beach.
A police statement issued by Cherng Talay Police named the German man only as ‘Mr Simoen’, and described him as a German tourist.
However, the statement gave no details about why the car had been parked at the beach.
Photos at the scene showed an old Toyota Corolla GXI with its front wheels buried in the sand nearby.
The police statement gave no mention as to any action taken over that vehicle, other than ensuring that it, too, was removed from the beach area.
A construction worker at a nearby camp told The Phuket News that a Thai man had driven the Toyota Corolla onto the sand the night before. The Ford Everest arrived later to try and free the Corolla from the sand.
The remains of a campfire were found among trees in the area nearby.