Tempe officer recognizes stolen boat from social media, arrests suspect

PHOENIX – A Tempe police officer busted a suspected boat thief over the weekend after recognizing the stolen watercraft from a social media post, authorities said Monday.

The boat and trailer were swiped from outside the owners’ home in Mesa on Saturday.

The owners made an Instagram post with a photo of the boat, which the officer saw when it was shared by another page, the Tempe Police Department said in a press release.

The officer saw a truck pulling a boat that fit the description around 6 p.m. Sunday and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, identified as 27-year-old Brandon Brady, initially attempted to elude officers but was stopped in a neighborhood near Mill Avenue and U.S. 60, police said.

The suspect allegedly told police he’d lent the truck to a friend and the boat was in tow upon its return. Police said Brady matched the appearance of person seen in surveillance video taking the boat, although he denied it was him.

According to police, Brady said he’d tried to avoid them because he thought he had a warrant. The truck he was driving was a Dodge Durango that had the license plate registered to a Ford F350, police said.

Brady was booked on multiple counts, including theft of means of transportation, displaying a fictitious plate, and drug charges related to paraphernalia and pills found in the truck.

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