HARWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - Four people were arrested Tuesday night after stealing a $400,000 boat from a marina in Harwich Port and leading authorities on a high-speed chase, officials said.
Officers responding to the Allen Harbor Marine about 7:45 p.m. for a report of a boat being stolen from a slip saw a 36-foot vessel navigating through the channel and heading for the open ocean, according to Harwich police Sgt. Aram Goshgarian.
“The kid driving it gave us a line that his dad had a boat here and before and that it looked just like it,” he said.
The Harwich Harbormaster Joe Rendon, local police, the U.S. Coast Guard and a Yarmouth patrol boat gave chase in an attempt to stop the stolen vessel. Two employees at the marina also took a small boat to assist with the pursuit, Goshgarian said.
“We steamed out there full speed and we came upon it,” Rendon said. “Once they saw us with our blue lights they picked up speed. Shortly after I think they realized we were on them and they then stopped.”
The boat boarded by Harwich police after it came to a stop. Christopher Arms, 37, of Harwich, Lisa Storey, 49, of Hyannis, Geoffrey Curran, 23, and Jason Mostacci, 36, of Danvers, were placed under arrest.
Officials credited a quick response by all of those involved for being able to catch up to the speeding boat.
Arms, who prosecutors referred to as the “ringleader,” allegedly used a screwdriver to start the boat. The other three suspects told police that they thought the boat belonged to Arms.
“Some of the evidence that points towards their knowledge would be the evidence of the hatch being pried up open with a screwdriver to start the boat without the keys,” prosecutor Mike Giardino said.
All of the suspects were arraigned Wednesday in Orleans District Court on felony larceny charges. They were ordered held on $5,000 bail.
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