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A San Diego man was arrested for stealing a 60-foot yacht in Newport Beach on Thursday following a 10-minute chase that ended with him hitting multiple vessels and a seawall. A woman sitting aboard a sailboat was slightly injured.
Joel Praneet Siam, 38, was taken into custody by Newport Beach police on suspicion of grand theft of a vessel and possession of a stolen one. He was jailed on $3,000,000 bail, authorities stated.
The stolen vessel had been undergoing maintenance at Newport Beach
Police were initially called to the Pacific Coast Highway after the suspect was seen vandalizing a yacht shortly after 10.00 a.m. However, upon the officers' arrival, the man reportedly jumped into the vessel and took off.
As seen in the viral clip, the yacht first collided with a parked sailboat, backed up, circled, and then continued through the harbor before hitting another docked vessel. Furthermore, it slammed into a wall beside a bridge while being chased by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol.
The stolen yacht was undergoing maintenance with its keys left inside. Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Ryan Anderson said in a statement:
"The boat was apparently being serviced at the local yacht broker. ]It] was being motored and collided with at least two other vessels in slips near the Lido Island Bridge, where the boat stopped."
The stolen yacht had damages to its side and bow. The owner bought it new in August and was about to use it for a charter business. A half-bottle of tequila from inside the vessel was gone. It is unclear if alcohol played a role in the incident.
Debora Dolly, who was aboard the sailboat that was struck by the vessel, said that the starboard side of it crashed into her several times. She reportedly hit her head but otherwise was fine.
One of several witnesses, Sandi Morgan, stated:
"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."
Local resident Todd Newkirk, who was working on a construction project on the fifth floor of Newport Towers, noted:
"I wasn’t sure if it was an explosion. 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."
The yacht was recovered and was being temporarily housed in the Harbor Patrol yard in Corona del Mar. Damage caused to the other boats is yet to be determined.
