A New Jersey man is accused of stealing an ultralight aircraft from a hanger in Burlington County and crashing it into a field in a rural town.
New Jersey State Police also charged 42-year-old Robert Wagner, of Pleasantville, in at least two other burglaries in Corbin City after he crash-landed.
Wagner is charged with criminal attempt, criminal mischief, burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property, obstruction and hindering, State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said Thursday. An investigation into the stolen ultralight and subsequent burglaries remained ongoing, he said.
It was unclear Thursday if Wagner retained an attorney. A court date has yet to be scheduled, records show.
Investigators did not say how the ultralight would be hauled from the field or how Wagner accessed its hangar.
Tenants of an apartment inside Corbin City Gas Mart, a privately-owned fueling station and convenience store off Route 50, likely were the first to see the aftermath of the crash, the building’s owner, Matthew Franklin, told NJ Advance Media.
Wagner entered the upstairs apartment around 1 a.m. Tuesday after landing in the quiet town, leaving behind his shoes and identification as he fled, Franklin said.
“It’s definitely a shocker,” Franklin said.
Franklin and his brother spotted Wagner on Wednesday morning emerging from the nearby woods barefoot and called police, Lebron said. When police arrived, Wagner refused to reveal his name to troopers, leading to him being arrested for obstruction, Lebron said.
Corbin City is a small Atlantic County town of less than 500 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
When Wagner told Franklin and his brother that he crashed an aircraft, the story seemed too exaggerated to be truthful, Franklin said. They later drove into the field and discovered the story was true, he said.
“(Wagner) said he was the field and had crashed two days prior to the day we found him after the morning he broke in,” Franklin said. “It was a bad rain storm. (Wagner) said he got stuck in the rainstorm and crashed.”
Federal Aviation Administration officials said the downed plane was a Quad City Ultralight, a fixed-wing, single-engine model. A preliminary FAA report said the aircraft was downed for unknown reasons.
The single-engine plane is stored at the Pemberton Airport, a field with a grass runway for small planes not far from Route 206.
The plane’s owner, David Wilson, of Middletown in Monmouth County, told NJ Advance Media most of the damage was limited to the plane’s front landing wheel. He believes the ultralight can fly again after about $500 to $1,000 worth of repairs.
“The damage is kind of minor from where it was put down in that field,” Wilson said.
The ultralight is part a flying club that uses the airport, Wilson said. Seven people disassembled the damaged aircraft on Thursday and hauled it back to the airport.
“It’s back in its home hangar,” Wilson said.
Wagner admitted that he stole the plane and was responsible for at least two burglaries associated with the crash-landing, Lebron said.
Pemberton police did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Eric Conklin may be reached at [email protected].
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