He parachuted out of the plane over Alabama

Jan 13, 2009 10:32 GMT  ·  By

Marcus Schrenker, 38 years old, is currently being chased by the police for ejecting out of his plane on Sunday, in what apparently seems to be an attempt to fake his own death. The man is wanted for misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars, and, most likely, he had no plan of getting caught. After parachuting from the plane, he fled and sought refuge in a hotel, after which time he once again disappeared.

But his story doesn't stop here. In addition to being a fugitive, he went to the police for help. As news of his deed had not yet reached the ears of officers in Harpersville, Alabama, on Sunday night, they offered him a hotel room, buying into Schrenker's story, which stated that he had been recently involved in a canoe accident.

According to the policemen, the fugitive put on quite an impressive show, falling down on his knees and seeking their assistance. Later that night, dressed in a black hooded pullover, the man disappeared into the forests surrounding the hotel, and the chase is ongoing.

According to preliminary data, the Piper PA-46 Turbo Prop plane crashed in a swampy area outside the city of Milton, in northwest Florida. Sgt. Scott Haines, from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's office, who was at the scene, said that parts of the plane were scattered just tens of yards away from homes in a Milton suburb.

Authorities figured out that Schrenker had tricked them when interceptors sent to aid his plane – following a bogus distress call the pilot had emitted previously, saying that his windshield was broken, and that he was bleeding very fast – saw that the door on his side was opened. Early investigations concluded that the man had placed the plane on autopilot before ejecting to relative safety.

Some Indiana insurance regulators recently accused Marcus Schrenker of misleading consumers and misappropriating large sums of money, and the stunt he pulled was apparently part of his plan to evade being arrested. In late December, police executed search warrants at three of the wealth management businesses that the suspect was conducting, gathering documents for his conviction.