Lost Creek State Park near Newport (as posted on website), July 15, 2023
PORTLAND, Oregon (KOIN) — A man on board a 41-foot-long cabin cruiser yacht ran aground near Newport Friday night and said he stole the boat from Florence, Oregon, the U.S. Coast Guard said on KOIN 6. told the news.
Officials said the Coast Guard was alerted around 8:30 p.m. There were also reports of a man jumping off the yacht, but when paramedics arrived at the scene, he was described as in a “transformed state”.
Authorities said the man, whose identity has not been released, admitted to falling asleep after stealing a boat from Florence. When he woke up, he said he was on the shore.
No one else was on the boat, but it was found near Lost Creek State Park, about 11 miles south of Newport. The distance between Florence and Newport is about 80 miles by land.
The Coast Guard is watching for possible pollution from yacht strandings. The yacht owner is working with a salvage company to recover the boat, the Coast Guard told KOIN 6 News.
The whereabouts of the man who allegedly stole the boat is unknown at this time.
