El Monte Police Recover Stolen Cessna From La Verne Airport

El Monte Police Department officers recovered a stolen Cessna 172 airplane from the San Gabriel Valley Airport after it was reported stolen from Brackett Field in La Verne. The aircraft, marked with red, yellow, and purple stripes and registered to a Yorba Linda man, was located by the department’s graveyard shift patrol during a routine location check following alerts to surrounding law enforcement agencies. While the plane was flown out of Brackett Field and found safely parked at San Gabriel Valley Airport, no suspect information has been released, and it remains unclear if the theft was authorized or how the plane was taken. The San Gabriel Valley Airport, formerly known as El Monte Airport, serves flight training and maintenance operations and plays a key role in general aviation in the region. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the theft, and no arrests have been made at this time. The police credited their Criminal Enforcement team and patrol officers for the recovery, highlighting ongoing efforts to track the stolen aircraft.