A Florida man stole a plane in Palo Alto on Thursday and landed it on a Half Moon Bay beach, according to bewildered San Mateo County authorities.
The suspect and 50-year-old Miami native, Luiz Gustavo Aires, is accused of committing the grand aerial robbery around 5 p.m., flying briefly before landing just 25 miles away, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said. .
“I've been doing this for a long time, it's certainly the first time,” said Javier Acosta, a spokesman for the office.
Officers received a call about a stranded plane, which began a search for the missing plane. Witnesses told officers that someone landed the plane, got out and walked away.
After an “extensive search,” officers located the small red and white single-engine fixed-wing aircraft on Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay. The Federal Aviation Administration lists the plane as owned by a limited liability company based in San Mateo.
Acosta said agents learned the plane was stolen from the Palo Alto airport and then located a man matching the description of the person who abandoned the plane.
Aires was booked on suspicion of theft of an airplane and misappropriation of lost property, Acosta said.
