Florida deputies: Man steals boat in attempt to return to Cuba because he 'disliked living in the U.S.'
Cristian Torres Perez (Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
MARATHON, Fla. - Deputies in the Florida Keys arrested a man for stealing a boat because they said he "disliked living in the U.S." and wanted to go back to Cuba.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said 30-year-old Cristian Torres Perez stole a $60,000 commercial fishing boat from his former employer in Marathon, located in the Florida Keys.
According to investigators, the victim reported the theft around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, saying his 40-foot fishing vessel had been stolen.
He told deputies that Torres Perez, a native of Cuba, was a former employee who recently quit his job. The victim said the suspect had been "talking about returning to Cuba as he disliked living in the U.S."
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The sheriff's office reported the stolen vessel and coordinated with multiple agencies, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customers and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to WSVN, the Coast Guard notified the victim several hours later that the vessel's emergency beacon was activated 50 miles south of Key West. A U.S. Coast Guard aircraft spotted Torres Perez aboard the stolen boat, waving his arms for help after the vessel became inoperable.
Torres Perez was then taken into custody. He is charged with grand theft and burglary.