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Man Allegedly Steals 65-Ft Yacht, Can't Sail It, Crashes It Into Boats in Newport Beach

Here’s a very crazy story about being foolish. A man tried to steal a yacht, and he sort of managed it for a moment there. But couldn’t actually sail it, so he crashed it.
Man Steals Yacht, Crashes It 7 photos
Photo: Dylan Eckardt
Man Steals Yacht, Crashes ItMan Steals Yacht, Crashes ItMan Steals Yacht, Crashes ItMan Steals Yacht, Crashes ItMan Steals Yacht, Crashes ItMan Steals Yacht, Crashes It
Newport Beach Harbor became an unplanned bumper boat course when a man allegedly stole a yacht on Thursday, March 10. The man reportedly stole the 65-ft yacht from a yacht broker in Newport Harbor at around 10:10 a.m. But sailing such a vessel wasn't exactly his strong point and he crashed into at least two other boats, Orange County Sheriff’s shared.

A video of the collision has hit the Internet, showing the yacht plowing into the dock near Lido Island Bridge and into two other parker boats.

According to the harbormaster, the keys were left in the ignition as the yacht that got stolen was undergoing maintenance.

An eyewitness, Tyler Van Twist, who works in the area, told ABC7: "The engines were so loud and we were like, 'There's no way that a boat is going that fast in the harbor right now,'" he said. "He jumped on this yacht, he put it in reverse, he kept doing 360s in the harbor, so we were filming and we go, 'This guy's going to hit something.'"

Police arrested the man, whose name is Joel Siam, while he was still wearing a lifejacket. Word is that, before trying to sail away with the yacht, he tried to steal a Rolls-Royce along the Pacific Coast Highway, but he failed that too. Then he jumped in the boat.

Witnesses shared with NBC Los Angeles that one of the boats he hit had just been restored. Meanwhile, the 65-ft yacht he stole had only been purchased last August for a charter business.

One person was injured during the failed theft attempt and treated for minor injuries. The alleged thief has been arrested on suspicion of grand theft of a boat and possession of a stolen boat. He is now held in custody on $3 million bail.

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About the author: Monica Coman
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Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.
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