When you hear the word “criminal”, most people will feel a bit of disgust and maybe a spot of fear. This is because a lot of criminals are violent and cause physical harm to others while committing their crimes. But the criminal featured in this Real Crime documentary on YouTube won’t make you feel the same feelings of revulsion, horror and fear that other criminals might inspire in you, because the perpetrator of this adventurous crime spree was just a dysfunctional kid.

Fly Colt Fly: Legend of the Barefoot Bandit

The Barefoot Badass who became the Barefoot Bandit

Colton Harris Moore was just another disadvantaged teenager living in small town America when he turned to petty crimes like breaking and entering and burglary partly to stave off boredom and partly as a rebellious act against authority figures. In his mid-teens he was sent to a juvenile prison which he then escaped from and started living barefoot in the woods near his mother’s house. Colton stole whatever he needed and made online orders with his victim’s credit cards to get whatever else he wanted, all while barefoot, and often bare-chested too. During his crime spree, Colton stole several airplanes, which he’d taught himself to fly using flight manuals that he’d ordered online using with other people’s money and online shopping accounts.

The cocky teenager started making headlines with his cheeky habit of taunting the police. When the media dubbed him the Barefoot Bandit, Harris started leaving behind chalk outlines of bare feet at his crimes scenes. The internet quickly took a liking to the rebellious teenager’s happy-go-lucky attitude and his talent for evading capture by police. Several songs were written and performed by Colton Harris fans on YouTube and Barefoot Bandit merchandise and fan art began appearing online.

Colton Harris Moore earned himself the nickname The Barefoot Bandit because of his habit of committing his crimes in bare feet.

The Barefoot Bandit’s fans turned his Facebook selfies into t-shirt designs with the text Momma Tried. [source]

Colton Harris Moore’s legendary story has been compared to Frank Abagnale Jr’s, whose life story is told in the movie Catch Me If You Can, starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo di Caprio, because of Colton’s uncanny ability to stay one step ahead of the police. When Harris Moore eventually turned himself in (leading the authorities in the Bahamas on a merry little chase before letting them capture him), he was tried and sentenced to seven years in prison. During his trial, the Barefoot Bandit asked for the judge’s permission to sell his story to filmmakers in order to reimburse the victims of his thefts. Let’s hope when the movie is made it will do this story justice!

Curious about what became of Colton Harris Moore? Read this update on The UK’s Daily Mail website.