Man allegedly steals boat, crashes at recently renovated bayfront park

A man was arrested after he crashed a stolen boat into a bulkhead at a recently renovated bayfront in southern Ocean County.

Authorities responded to a report of a boating accident at South Green Street Park along the Great Bay in Tuckerton shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Tuckerton Fire Department spokesperson said.

Arriving responders found a boat resting on a portion of a new bulkhead and determined that the vessel struck the structure at a high rate of speed. The boat and bulkhead sustained significant damage, authorities say.

Firefighters from West Tuckerton and Mystic Island were called to assist in the search for the man using thermal imaging cameras.

Police apprehended Kevin Bacorn, 32, of Manahawkin, after firefighters spotted him hiding under the deck of an abandoned house along South Green Street, State Police say.

Bacorn was charged with theft, criminal trespassing, and boating while intoxicated, according to authorities.

The boat was reportedly stolen from a Little Egg Harbor marina.

The park’s pier, bulkhead, and playground area were recently reconstructed with through a $1.4 Superstorm Sandy resiliency grant.