An alleged serial rapist who evaded authorities for more than 30 years has finally been caught after being spotted living a double life on a luxury yacht.
Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was allegedly identified as the infamous ‘Boston Strip Mall Rapist’ through DNA testing, leading to a manhunt that saw Investigators tracked him to a $1.5 million yacht in Los Angeles this week.
When police arrived to arrest him, Gale allegedly realized he was being followed, ran from his boat to his car and led police on a daring high-speed chase through Los Angeles for more than 90 minutes before being taken into custody.
Gale was later charged in connection with the kidnapping and rape of two women in Framingham, Massachusetts, at gunpoint in 1989.
Investigators, whom Gale has been avoiding for two years since new DNA evidence linked him to the crimes, said he was known to have ties to organized crime, lived in numerous states and used a variety of aliases over the years.
Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was arrested this week on suspicion of being the infamous “Boston Strip Mall Rapist,” who raped two women at gunpoint in 1989.
Gale was arrested after a police chase through Los Angeles, which ended with him hospitalized for medical complications while she was charged in connection with the crime.
The search for Gale intensified in March of this year when he was charged with four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery.
When he allegedly raped two women in 1989, police say Gale posed as a customer at a Hit or Miss department store before cornering his victims with a gun.
Gale then allegedly ordered them to the back of the store to different rooms and sexually assaulted them before fleeing, reports said. Community of Neighbors Neighbors.
The search for the rapist responsible was stalled for decades, and victims protested for years demanding that police reopen the investigation.
A DNA profile was created from evidence found at the scene in 2001, but it did not match any existing DNA in law enforcement databases.
In 2022, 33 years after the attacks, Framingham police employed a forensic lab to re-analyze DNA from the scene to determine a suspect profile.
Gale was identified through this method and evaded police for two years.
A decades-long manhunt ended with police tracking Gale to this $1.5 million yacht on a Los Angeles boat.
Gale reportedly noticed that police were approaching, prompting him to attempt to flee in a daring 90-minute police chase.
Footage captured the moment police ended the chase by throwing a spike strip in front of Gale’s vehicle’s tires.
Following Gale’s arrest (pictured), it emerged that he was also wanted for questioning in connection with several other violent sexual assaults in the Boston area between 1989 and 1990.
However, the 71-year-old man had not been seen since 2007, prompting authorities to appeal to the public for information and offer a $5,000 reward.
Gale was also identified as a possible suspect in several other violent sexual assaults in the Boston area between 1989 and 1990. KTLA reported.
U.S. Marshals and the District of Nevada reportedly assisted in the search and received information that he was in the Los Angeles area.
They tracked him to a massive $1.5 million yacht, the largest in the bay at the time, however he reportedly realised he was on police radar and knew they were getting closer.
It is unclear how Gale acquired the money for the multi-million dollar boat, though reports claim he was known for embezzling and swindling funds from people he knew.
Before police could gain access to his yacht this week, Gale fled in his vehicle, leading police on a chase through Los Angeles.
The footage captured the moment police threw a spike strip in front of Gale’s vehicle, ending the 90-minute chase shortly after.
He was arrested outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and images show him being wheeled out on a stretcher.
Gale was arrested outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and footage shows him being wheeled away on a stretcher.
He has since missed two court hearings due to medical problems, including a separate charge related to theft and check forgery in 1996.
Following Gale’s arrest, residents of the Los Angeles marina where he was allegedly evading the law on his yacht were shocked to discover he was an alleged serial predator.
“Are you kidding me?” local Don Smollett told KTLA when he found out this week.
“Well, I’ve talked to him. I don’t know much about him, but I’ve talked to him many, many times. He’s been here. He remodeled that boat. He brought it here.”
Smollett added that Gale told people he was connected to the fashion company Dior, and even named his yacht after the brand.