Authorities Looking For Person Who Landed Stolen Plane On A Secure Coast Guard Beach Sunday

Authorities are still searching for the pilot of a Piper PA-12 that was landed on a secure Coast Guard beach in Cape May, NJ Sunday. The pilot fled on foot after landing the aircraft on the beach.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that Barbara Tomalino, president of Paramount Air Services which owns the plane, said it was "used by one of our employees without permission. We didn't even realize it was gone."

The company uses the plane to tow advertising banners in the region. Tomalino's son Eric Springer said that the name of the employee believed to have taken the plane was not being released at this time, but he would "definitely like to have a conversation with him."

The FAA disassembled the plane in order to get it off the beach. Security was increased at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May following the incident. Coast Guard personnel said that there were footprints leading away from the plane, which appeared to be undamaged by the off-airport landing. The Coast Guard said it was not aware the plane was flying over the training center until after it landed and it was spotted on closed-circuit cameras..

(Coast Guard image)

FMI: Original report