Jurien Bay, Benjamin Jack McLaughlin: Naked man acting ‘creepy’ on a boat a short distance from where a body was discovered in a burnt-out car faces charges after dramatic ocean rescue
A man rescued naked from the ocean north of Perth has been charged by police as they investigate possible links to a body found in a burnt-out car nearby.
The white Mitsubishi Pajero was found on fire near Indian Ocean Drive, between Cervantes and Jurien Bay, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, more than 200km north of Perth.
Later that day, a body was found in the car.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, Benjamin Jack McLaughlin, 20, was seen acting erratically in a boat adrift in the water near the Cervantes jetty, near a small red car that was submerged.
He ended up in the water and had to be rescued by a fishing vessel before being arrested by police and taken for medical treatment.
Benjamin Jack McLaughlin (pictured), who was rescued naked from the ocean, has been charged by police as they investigate possible links to a body found nearby in a burnt-out car
McLaughlin, 20, was seen behaving erratically in a boat adrift in the water at the Cervantes jetty, near a small red car (pictured) that was submerged
On Thursday, McLaughlin appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court charged with disposing of ships, assaulting a public official, assaulting a person assisting a public official and obstructing public officials.
It was revealed in court that the Hamilton Hill man was naked during the alleged incident on Tuesday morning.
He was granted bail before his next court appearance on November 16.
His bail conditions include not being allowed to come within 50km of Cervantes.
No charges have been filed over the body’s discovery in the burned-out Pajero; the remains have yet to be identified.
WA Police Detective Senior Sergeant Greg McDonald said police are investigating whether Mr McLaughlin’s incident and the Pajero are linked.
He revealed the Pajero had left Perth’s southern suburb of Hamilton Hill about 9pm on Monday and had been speeding to reach Cervantes by the time it was discovered on fire.
Police are looking for dashcam footage of vehicles traveling in both directions along Indian Ocean Drive between 9pm Monday and 12.30am on Tuesday, or anyone who may have seen the Pajero driving too fast or erratically.
Human remains were found in a car that was on fire when police encountered it along Indian Ocean Dr, near the coastal town of Jurien Bay, about 12.30pm on Tuesday.
A white Mitsubishi Pajero (pictured) was found on fire near Indian Ocean Drive between Cervantes and Jurien Bay, 200km north of Perth, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.