Toronto man wanted after allegedly illegally crossing into U.S. on a stolen Sea-Doo: police

The Sarnia police station is seen in this undated photo. (SPS photo)

An arrest warrant has been issued for a 40-year-old Toronto man who allegedly stole a Sea-Doo in Sarnia, Ont. and illegally crossed into the United States.

Sarnia Police Service said on Aug. 9, at around 9:40 p.m., they were called for a report of a missing person related to a personal watercraft rental.

They said a male, identified as Romeo Bajram, rented a Sea-Doo with cash at 6:45 p.m. , but failed to return as expected an hour later.

Investigators say Bajram left the dock at 6:40 pm, heading south on the St. Clair River, which is an international border between the U.S. and Canada.

When he failed to return at 7:45 p.m., the rental facility phoned Bajram, police said.

“He apologized for being late, provided questionable excuses, but indicated he was 10 minutes away. At 8:20 pm, another placed call was answered and again he said he would be returning shortly. Multiple additional calls were made (no answer) until police were contacted at 9:40 p.m.,” they said in a news release.

Sarnia police then alerted surrounding police agencies, requesting notification if Bajram or the Sea-Doo were found.

“At this time officers suspected possible theft or intentional disappearance due to forfeited deposit and evasive behavior,” they said.

Sarnia police said they notified the Canadian Coast Guard, Sarnia Fire, and Point Edward Fire, which were deployed to conduct a marine search of the St. Clair River. Their focus, police said, was on areas south of the marina toward Stag Island and north into Lake Huron.

However, the search of these waterways on the Canadian side was unsuccessful, prompting Sarnia police to notify Canada Border Services Agency and Toronto police, who did a residence check.

Shortly after midnight on Aug. 10, the U.S. Coast Guard advised they had located the Sea-Doo on the American shore south of Sarnia. Along with the vessel,police said they found a shirt that Bajram was last seen wearing, a life jacket, and the vehicle’skeys.

“It is believed that Bajram was successful in conducting an illegal border crossing. U.S. Customs and Immigration were notified and are investigating this incident,” said Sarnia police.

Bajram, 40, of Toronto, is wanted for theft of a motor vehicle.