Man sets cruise-line boat adrift in Boston Harbor

BOSTON (WHDH) -- A man is in deep water after police say he tried to commandeer a Boston Harbor cruise-line ship. The man untied the boat and it drifted into the harbor, leaving him trapped.

The 100-foot ferry docked in Boston Harbor was set loose Christmas morning, travelling more than 400 yards before emergency crews stopped it from heading on a crash course.

“This is an area with a lot of sailboat moorings and vessels still in the water. It could have caused a lot of damage,” said Steve Waldron, Boston Fire boat captain.

The Boston Harbor cruise boat's slow pace and strange path concerned someone who spotted it from East Boston.

A Boston Fire boat caught up with the ferry, finding someone on board who wasn't part of the crew.

“The individual must have set the boat free. It was tied up to the pier and secured. Looks like he went through a lot of trouble to unhitch the lines and let it drift,” said Waldron.

The ferry wasn't damaged but it had headed dangerously close to shallow water. Fire boats, police boats and Coast Guard cutters corralled it before its own crew came to take it home.

“If it had drifted back to the shoreline this definitely is a problem,” Waldron said.

No charges were filed against the man who was taken off the boat and the boat was not damaged. Instead, he was transported to Mass. General to get checked out.