Teen arrested on suspicion of taking Duffy boat on a joyride in Newport Harbor

An 18-year-old man was arrested Wednesday evening on suspicion of stealing a Duffy boat and taking it for a joyride around Newport Harbor, police said.

Newport Beach police responded to China Cove near the harbor entrance after receiving a call at about 6 p.m. that a Duffy electric boat had run aground. The caller told authorities that three people who appeared to be intoxicated climbed off the vessel, Lt. Tom Fischbacher said.

The three tried to run from officers, Fischbacher said.

Officers determined the boat had been taken from the 400 block of Edgewater Place and likely ran out of power before it washed onto the sand. Authorities towed the boat off the beach and returned it to its owner.

Joseph Allen Upton of Long Beach was arrested on suspicion of grand theft of a boat, public intoxication and resisting a police officer. A woman and a girl were detained at the scene but were not arrested, Fischbacher said.

Upton was booked into Orange County Jail in Santa Ana with bail set at $75,000, according to jail records.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN