A thief stole a hearse with a body inside a church – before crashing later while police chased him down the highway.
On Wednesday evening, the black Lincoln Navigator was taken from outside the Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in East Pasadena, Los Angeles.
The vehicle was allegedly stolen while a morgue employee brought another body into the church.
The police called on social networks to have the thief return the body.
“On all of the bad decisions you’ve made, take at least one good one and bring the deceased and the coffin back into the Navigator,” the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department tweeted.
The SUV hearse was spotted and followed by a witness Thursday morning, police chasing the vehicle until it crashed at around 7.45 a.m. Authorities said at least one officer was involved in the accident.
Highway 110 was closed during the morning rush hour and television footage showed heavy damage to the front of the hearse.
Police said no one was seriously injured – and luckily the body was not disturbed in his coffin.
A man was arrested, but his identity was not made public immediately. The morgue involved was also not named.
“A big THANK YOU to the good Samaritan who called the police when they saw the stolen vehicle,” the police then tweeted.
“We also want to extend our condolences to the family members of the deceased who faced this tragedy.”
