A man was accused of stealing a pricey yacht in Newport Beach, California, and crashing it into several others before being taken into custody Thursday.
Police said Joel Siam was arrested on suspicion of grand theft of a boat and possession of a stolen boat, and held on $3,000,000 bail.
Newport Beach police said sometime Thursday morning, a man was seen vandalizing a yacht near Balboa Bay Resort at 1200 West Coast Highway.
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Police said the man crossed the highway and commandeered a yacht in one of the slips.
Sheriff’s deputies say the 60-foot yacht was taken from a dock where it had been undergoing maintenance, so the keys were inside.
He drove the boat around the harbor and hit a couple other yachts in the process, wild video shows.
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One woman sitting aboard a sailboat was injured in the crash.
It didn't stop there. The yacht could be seen doing donuts in the water, then speeding forward.
"When I looked out, the power boat really going fast. I thought it was a runaway engine -- that's what happens you can't stop the engine," witness Sandi Morgan said,
The demolition derby on the water ended when the boat finally smashed into one more vessel, and then a sea wall.
"The poor owner of this boat it hit just had the boat restored, so they’re a little upset at moment," witness Kai Macartney said.
The owner of the yacht was seen surveying the damage midday afterward.
The bow sustained the most damage, aerial footage showed.
The owner of the stolen boat was too upset to go on camera but did tell NBCLA it was purchased new in August to be used for a charter business, and that half a bottle of tequila from inside was now gone.
The man was taken into custody by Harbor Patrol.
NBCLA captured video of the suspect in a life jacket being put into a patrol car.
Police initially called because the San Diego man was accused of trying to steal a Rolls Royce along Pacific Coast Highway, then he jumped in the boat.
