Cape man scares off would-be burglar who attempted to steal boat motor

Captain John Ziesmi is warning boat owners to secure their motors after he almost fell victim to an attempted robbery.

Ziesmi woke up early Tuesday morning and saw someone trying to steal his boat motor outside his home on Northwest 33rd Lane near Burnt Store Road.

Ziesmi, who uses his boat for business, told the suspect to get away from his boat. The suspect took off, leaving his tools behind, and jumped in a getaway car.

“There is a whole slough of wires all over here and he just one-by-one snipped them with the bolt cutters,” Ziesmi said. “To repair all these items that they damaged, it’ll be under $2,000, I’m guessing.”

12 boat motors have been stolen in the City of Cape Coral in 2018, officials said. Boat owners are advised to add lighting or security cameras to keep crooks away.

Ziesmi said he would be parking his car behind his boat from now on.