Man takes stolen yacht on a joyride before crashing it into dock, California cops say

A man’s joyride in a stolen yacht ended when he crashed into several other docked boats in California, authorities told news outlets.

The 38-year-old San Diego man was arrested and faces charges of grand theft of a boat and possession of a stolen boat Thursday, March 10, after police said he took a 60-foot yacht on a joyride, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Police got a call at about 9:20 a.m. , saying a yacht that was being serviced was taken after the person repairing it stepped away, Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, told City News Service.

Shortly after 10 a.m., police were told a boat collision happened in the Newport Beach Harbor, according to the Daily Pilot.

At least two boats were damaged in the harbor before the yacht crashed into a sea wall, police told City News Service. One person on another boat was injured.

Newport Beach resident Todd Newkirk told the Daily Pilot he heard a big boom after the crash.

“I wasn’t sure if it was an explosion,” he told the news outlet. “He was on the east side of the Lido Bridge and hit the first dock over there — there was a huge wake, like he had made a U-turn. Then, he got pinned but the motor was running on full power.”

Police didn’t know if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, the Daily Pilot reported.

The man was arrested and being held on a $3 million bail, according to NBC Los Angeles.

This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Man takes stolen yacht on a joyride before crashing it into dock, California cops say."