LOCAL : Wild Newport Beach Tractor Ride Does $300,000 Damage

NEWPORT BEACH —  A transient who allegedly took a joy ride on a bulldozer and caused more than $300,000 in damage to a construction site at the mouth of the Santa Ana River has been arrested, authorities said today.

John Lefebvre 30, was being held at Orange County Jail today in lieu of $5,000 bail on charges of felony vandalism, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Bob Rivas said.

Lefebvre drove the bulldozer into a tractor, a crane and several other pieces of heavy equipment, and damaged pipes used to divert seawater, triggering flooding at the construction site, investigators said. The project involved reinforcing the sandy banks of the river near its mouth.

Investigators reported that Lefebvre said he was walking from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach at about 9 p.m. Wednesday night when he spotted a thermos bottle that was left on the bulldozer. He climbed onto the heavy equipment to take a drink from the bottle, according to police reports.

“He said that the bulldozer turned on by itself,” Rivas said. “He said he didn’t know how to turn it off, so he just drove around.”