San Diego man arrested for allegedly stealing yacht, going on joyride, and crashing it
03/11/2022 3:32 pm PST
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (TCD) -- A 38-year-old San Diego man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a 60-foot yacht, riding it around the harbor, and crashing it into a bridge.
According to KSWB-TV, on Thursday, March 10, at approximately 10 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a call about a yacht that had been taken from the Newport Beach harbor. The yacht reportedly hit a sailboat and other vessels before eventually colliding with a wall near Lido Bridge.
Video provided to KTLA-TV shows the yacht going in reverse and then slamming in other high-end boats. Dylan Eckardt, who recorded the incident, told KTLA, "As I came outside, I realized it was a man doing doughnuts in a boat."
Eckardt said the boat then "ran over the sailboat" and he heard a woman screaming. KTLA identified the suspect as Joel Siam.
KTLA reports Siam allegedly took the yacht from a dock where it was receiving maintenance work. Siam is being held at the Orange County Jail on charges of grand theft of a boat and possession of a stolen boat. His bail is set at $3 million.
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