A man accused of stealing a backhoe at 5 a.m. from a construction site and going on a destructive ride in North Park appeared before a judge this week.
Liam Quigley, 28, was released Wednesday on a condition of supervised personal recognizance. The judge ordered him to wear a GPS monitoring device that was also requested by his lawyer, Julie Gibson.
Quigley pleaded not guilty to the theft of the backhoe, which was taken from a construction site near University Avenue and Utah Street, and two counts of destruction of public property.
A man was arrested after allegedly driving a stolen backhoe down a street in San Diego, California on July 26, causing extensive damage. pic.twitter.com/o0gnMvhtfb
— KTLA (@KTLA) July 29, 2026
The alleged theft happened earlier in the week.
The bulldozer was a bobcat-type backhoe that eventually came to rest in front of the broken North Park observatory sign. Damage was estimated at $25,000.
The destruction included five street signs, a street lamp that was knocked over and an overturned planter. The backhoe bucket also dragged the University, causing sparks, as the suspect apparently did not know how to lift it.
Municipal workers, dispatched this week, have repaired most of the damage.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Laura Duffy ordered Quigley not to drive unless insured and also not to possess property that is not his own.
Guy Gusdagni, the general manager of The Mission restaurant, told NBC 7 he was drinking coffee at 5 a.m. and was surprised when he saw and heard the backhoe drive by.
“It was wild. I had to call the police. I had to get somebody out of here. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt,” Gusdagni said.
“He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He could be homeless, I’m not sure. Having a good time knocking things over,” he added. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was strange.”
The court set a preliminary hearing for August 11.
