IN HOT WATER

Suspect Busted for Naked Boat Theft Escapes Hospital in Disguise

Security camera images captured him making his bold getaway.

A man arrested on suspicion of taking a Hudson River boat joyride in the nude escaped from a hospital disguised as a doctor, according to a report. Security camera footage captured from New York Presbyterian Hospital in Washington Heights, Manhattan, shows 36-year-old Stephen Blasetti pulling on a physician’s coat before making his way out of the building, according to WABC. He had been at the medical facility for psychiatric evaluation following charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and reckless endangerment. The network reported that Blasetti slipped out of his handcuffs Wednesday morning when an officer watching him fell asleep—although that report contradicts sources speaking to the New York Post who claimed Blasetti was not cuffed or shackled at the hospital. The Daily Beast has contacted the NYPD for comment. The Post had earlier published an image showing NYPD Harbor Unit officers escorting a naked Blasetti after his July 19 arrest.