PAN-PAN : police looking to question man in sailboat after sexual assault in Cape May

[ottos]

Mid-Atlantic sailors be alert - catamaran "Brer Rabbit" sought in investigation.

Anyone who may have information on the sail boat is asked to call Lower Township Detective Michael Majane at 609-886-1619.

See photo here.

[scottyt]

well he has a great head start considering he is on a trimaran

[knothead]

Originally Posted by ottos

Mid-Atlantic sailors be alert - catamaran "Brer Rabbit" sought in investigation.

Anyone who may have information on the sail boat is asked to call Lower Township Detective Michael Majane at 609-886-1619.

See photo here.

I'm sure the owner of the catamaran really appreciates your thread.
Though you never actually say the sailor is a suspect or person of interest, you certainly leave that impression. You could have worded the of the thread differently as well as the contents of your post.
The likelihood of the boat owner being in any way involved in the assault is slim.
I can just see it. The guy jumps a girl and then makes a speedy getaway in his dinghy.

I can see how the police might want to talk to him to find out if he saw or heard anything, but your thread and post cast the poor guy in a bad light.

Not cool at all. You must be a journalist.

[tdw]

"would not call the man a suspect or person of interest." Police Chief.

As per Knothead's comments, the original post is a beat up.

[ottos]

I don't give a **** if he appreciates it or not. If he reads this, he now knows that the police want to talk to him, and he can resolve the issue.

I read what you did - no more, no less. I forwarded the police request which was published in the newspaper. Did I try to draw some extra attention - yes, I added the PAN-PAN.

Do I think that the police consider him a suspect? Probably - but not for me to say whether he is or isn't.

Do I cut a random guy some slack just because he's a sailor? I don't think so. I've met too many ***** on boats. Even sailboats.

YMMV.

What would you do?
.

[sailingdog]

ottos—

The residents, reporter and chief of police are all idiots. They're calling the boat a catamaran, which, if you look closely at the photo is very unlikely. The forestay appears to be attached to a hull... not to crossbeam or bridgedeck. There also appears to be a smaller hull at the outer edge of the wingdeck. That would make this boat a trimaran.

Also, the numbers seen at the bow of what would be the PORT SIDE HULL, probably the state registration numbers, would not be affixed to the inner side of a catamaran's hull, which is what the case would be if Brer Rabbit were a catamaran.

It would make far more sense to have them affixed to the MAIN HULL of a trimaran. If they're looking for a CATAMARAN and not a TRIMARAN, it will make spotting the boat pretty difficult.

[tdw]

Your original post makes it sound as if the police are linking him to the assault. Its not a matter of cutting him some slack , its a matter of stating the facts without colour.

Originally Posted by ottos

I don't give a **** if he appreciates it or not. If he reads this, he now knows that the police want to talk to him, and he can resolve the issue.

I read what you did - no more, no less. I forwarded the police request which was published in the newspaper. Did I try to draw some extra attention - yes, I added the PAN-PAN.

Do I think that the police consider him a suspect? Probably - but not for me to say whether he is or isn't.

Do I cut a random guy some slack just because he's a sailor? I don't think so. I've met too many ***** on boats. Even sailboats.

YMMV.

.

[ottos]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

ottos— They're calling the boat a catamaran, which, if you look closely at the photo is very unlikely. The forestay appears to be attached to a hull... not to crossbeam or bridgedeck. ]

I didn't look closely - I'll pass on the info. Now - can anyone identify the type of TRIMARAN ?

I really think that the big blue "BRER RABBIT" on the ama's will be a clue.

Incidentally, no one around here is called a suspect, or even a person of interest until they are in handcuffs.

Your original post makes it sound as if the police are linking him to the assault.

"We would certainly like to locate him and clarify his location during the early morning hours of July 1," Lower Township Police Chief Edward Donohue said.

Judge for yourself.

[CapTim]

Yeah.. but ok.. so other than the fact that it's a tri and not a cat, and the guy is not only not a suspect, but not even a person of interest, and ignoring the fact that the boat wasn't involved in any way (though it had been anchored near where the attack took place for a few days) and that nobody had been seen entering or exiting the boat in any way related to the attack... ok. basically, the phone number is true. And the post got the correct ocean. So there's that.

[svHyLyte]

As reported in the Press:

LOWER TOWNSHIP — Police here are asking for the public's help in identifying a man whose sail boat was anchored off the beach of Cape May Point State Park when a woman was sexually assaulted last Thursday morning.

"We would certainly like to locate him and clarify his location during the early morning hours of July 1," Lower Township Police Chief Edward Donohue said.

Donohue said residents reported the boat, a Catamaran style sail boat, was anchored about 75 yards offshore several days before the assault. It left the area Thursday afternoon.

Police have obtained a photograph, taken by a park visitor, of the boat. The name of the boat is "Brer Rabbit," police said, but the registration number could not be seen in the photo.

Police have been to numerous local marinas and have asked the Coast Guard and N.J. State Police marine bureaus for assistance.

Nothing in the foregoing indicates that police have any need other than to speak with the yacht's owner to establish his whereabouts at the time of the assault. There may or may not be reason to suspect the fellow has anything to do with the events. Moreover, it may be that since he may have been in relative proximity to the event, he might have useful information even if he does not realize it.

FWIW the yacht is a Jim Brown Sea Runner Tri. Not a rich man's boat but generally also not owned by the type person that might attack an innocent passer by. (During the 70's and early 80's Sea Runners were the marine equivalent to the VW Microbus, particularly so in California.)

Further, it's not as if someone could easily hide the yacht. In fact, the fellow may not even realize he's being "hunted".

Given the foregoing, it might be well to forego jumping to conclusions, pro or con, and simply settle for keeping an eye out for the yacht, eh?