Florida Man Reportedly Arrested After Landing Stolen Airplane on San Mateo County Beach
Above: Stolen plane recovered from beach
Photo courtesy of San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
A man from Florida has reportedly been arrested in San Mateo County after allegedly landing a stolen airplane on a beach in Half Moon Bay.
According to a press release by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at around 5 PM on Thursday, February 8, to a report of a small airplane landing on a beach in Half Moon Bay. Responding deputies found the plane intact and unoccupied. They soon located an individual nearby who matched the description of the person allegedly seen landing and walking away from the plane.
Authorities soon learned that the plane had been stolen from an airport in Palo Alto.
The man who allegedly landed the plane on the beach, identified as 50-year-old Luiz Gustavo Aires of Miami, Florida, has been arrested on suspicion of theft of an airplane. He was booked at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has joined up with the Palo Alto Police Department to continue the investigation into the theft.
