An Idaho man has been apprehended by police after stealing a plane from Las Vegas and touching down in the middle of a California desert.
Damian Zukaitis, a 40-year-old resident of Boise, Idaho, was taken into custody on December 30. The stolen aircraft, a 2020 Kitfox fixed-wing single-engine plane, was found with beer cans and marijuana left behind in the front seat.
Idaho Man Pilots Stolen Plane Over 100 Miles
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reported that Zukaitis had allegedly piloted the stolen plane for over 100 miles, traveling from North Las Vegas to Barstow over the weekend. He now faces charges of possessing a stolen aircraft and transporting stolen property across state lines. Additional charges related to crimes committed in Nevada are also pending.
According to authorities, Zukaitis managed to take the Kitfox from North Las Vegas Airport on December 30 and successfully landed it near the Barstow-Daggett Airport, located east of Barstow, California. The incident came to the attention of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Barstow station at around 6:48 p.m. The sheriff's office learned that the fixed-wing single-engine aircraft had gone missing from its original location.
Barstow, situated approximately 115 miles east of Los Angeles, soon became the focus of the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alerted the authorities that the stolen plane had been found near the Daggett Airport. Deputies from the sheriff's office swiftly responded to the scene and discovered Zukaitis, taxiing the aircraft on Minneola Road, heading back towards the airport.
It was during the ensuing investigation that Zukaitis made an attempt to flee on foot into the desert area. The stolen plane belonged to Jeff Cohn, who received a phone call from Air Force Search and Rescue on the same day, informing him that his property had been taken. Authorities had been alerted by the aircraft's emergency location transmitter, which was activated upon the plane's unauthorized use.
Jeff informed the authorities that he had not been flying his aircraft and promptly drove to his hangar in North Las Vegas. To his shock, he discovered that the plane was missing from its usual spot. The investigation revealed that the stolen aircraft was valued at approximately $80,000, according to USA Today.
North Vegas Suspect Charged in Airplane Theft
Officials in North Las Vegas revealed that there had been attempted airplane thefts on December 27, 28, and 29, raising suspicions that Zukaitis may be linked to those incidents as well. The motive behind the theft remains unclear, prompting the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to collaborate with local authorities in their investigation.
The suspect, identified as Damian Zukaitis, has been taken into custody and is now facing charges of possessing a stolen airplane and transporting stolen property across state lines. As the investigation continues, authorities are attempting to determine Zukaitis' motivations and any potential connections to the earlier attempted airplane thefts.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Zukaitis had flown the stolen plane to an area near the Barstow-Daggett Airport, ultimately landing on a roadway. Not initially aware that the aircraft had been stolen, deputies engaged with Zukaitis before he fled on foot. He was apprehended shortly afterward, leading to his arrest.
The ongoing investigation, additional charges related to Zukaitis' crimes in Nevada are expected. It has also been revealed that there is a warrant for his arrest out of Ada County, Idaho. The stolen plane has been towed away for further examination and is believed to have sustained significant damage, possibly costing tens of thousands of dollars to repair.
This peculiar series of aircraft thefts and Zukaitis' involvement have sparked questions regarding the motive behind these incidents. The FAA, TSA, and local authorities continue their joint efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the stolen plane and bring this unusual case to a close, Fox 5 reported.
