Boat thief seen on surveillance video
Broward Sheriff’s detectives are searching for a man they dubbed the Midnight Pirate.
He was seen on video stealing a boat from the Apex Machine yard, 2696 NE12th Terrace in Oakland Park, at 1: 11 a. m. Feb. 3, officials said.
The surveillance video shows a white Ford F- 150 pickup truck approaching the locked gate. The suspect gets out, grabs bolt cutters from the truck bed, cuts the lock, drives into the yard, hooks up to a boat trailer and drives away.
Boat owner Todd Coningsby, 53, came to work later that morning and found that the lot next to his business, where he stores his boats, had been broken into. His green 19- foot 1996 Hewes Flats fishing boat was gone.
His boat had been stored beside two others in the lot on the south side of the business. It had a black 200horsepower Mercury outboard engine attached.
The stolen boat’s serial number is HIN: HMCLT009H596, the outboard engine’s serial number is 0G5097, and the 2001 Arrow boat trailer has a Florida tag K11- 4FG, detectives said.
The suspect appears to have a light complexion with short black hair and waswearing a light- colored polo shirt with a dark collar and dark cuffs on short sleeves, jeans and black shoes, the video showed.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954- 493- 8477.