‘Very, very unusual’: Armed man steals sailboat

PHILADELPHIA — Police in Philadelphia had an odd call on Wednesday. They said an armed man stole a sailboat on the Delaware River and sailed off.

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“This is very, very unusual,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WCAU. “We get stolen vehicles, stolen trucks, sometimes they even steal SEPTA bus, but this is very rare for someone to steal a sailboat.”

Police said that a boat club was conducting training when an armed man in his 20s jumped onto the docked 28-foot sailboat at Pier 5 Marina and sailed away. It happened at about 6:30 p.m.

The sails had been secured but the man was able to start the engine to be able to sail away from the pier.

About half an hour later, officers with the city’s Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard found the boat about two miles south of Penn’s Landing still sailing along, WPVI reported. They pulled over the boat and took the man into custody, WTXF reported.

The man is facing several charges for allegedly stealing the sailboat and possessing a stolen gun.

The boat was towed back to shore, KYW reported.