Boatnapping: Man Nabbed For Stealing $1.2-Million Yacht From New York Marina

A man was arrested on Tuesday, June 22, after being caught in the act of stealing a $1.2-million yacht from a New York Marina and taking it for a joyride across Lake Champlain to Vermont.

Fifty-six-year-old Robert Morris, of Jericho, is accused of stealing the 48-foot Jeanneau Prestige 500 yacht named "Volans" from New York’s Rouses Point Marina on Monday morning, June 21, and sailing it across Lake Champlain. The boat was later located by U.S. Border Patrol monitoring Lake Champlain using a helicopter, Fox News reported.

St. Albans Police Department proceed to corner Morris on Burton Island and charged him with multiple felonies, including possession of stolen property. When Morris was finally busted by the authorities, he reportedly commented offhand that he was only taking the boat for a "test drive."

Morris had been arrested several times before and is a wanted fugitive in New Hampshire. He reportedly claimed to the police that the luxury boat's owner had given him permission to take the vessel and that he was caught as he was trying to bring the yacht back to its owner. The boat's owner vehemently denied Morris' outrageous statements, NBC5 reported.

Morris reportedly appeared before a court hearing the day after his arrest. Morris was very vocal throughout the hearing and again asserted that he "was water testing the boat after making mechanical fixes."

Deputy State’s Attorney Deb Celis said that Morris had illegally commandeered the boat for at least two days.

“He drove the boat from Rouses Point, New York, to Burton Island, Vermont, so he crossed state lines,” Celis said.

During the virtual hearing, Morris reportedly made an "inappropriate gesture" to the webcam and abruptly left the meeting. He will undergo a competency exam, the station reported. Morris is to be extradited to New York to face additional charges, WCAX reported.

“Absolutely shocking,” said Ralph Choiniere of Rouses Point, commenting on the grand theft.

Ralph and Ann Choiniere are both retired individuals and have lived most of their lives in the Rouses Point community.

“We have no burglaries, we have no armed robbery, we have none of that stuff,” Choiniere said. “That is surprising, yes it is.”

The yacht reportedly belongs to Ron McCarthy, a Montreal resident. McCarthy keeps his boat at a slip at the Northern New York Marina. The community members are still trying to come to terms with the incident and are hoping that it doesn’t take away business from the area.

Morris is reportedly being held at Northwest State Correctional Facility.