PASADENA, Calif. – A hearse stolen with a body still inside was recovered Thursday after a police chase in Southern California, according to multiple reports.
The hearse was stolen from outside a church Wednesday night, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The department wrote on Twitter that the black Lincoln Navigator was taken from the 700 block of Rosemead Blvd. near Pasadena just after 8 p.m.
Deputies told KCBS that a mortician was dropping one of two bodies off at the St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church and while the mortician was inside, a thief stole the vehicle with the other body still inside, in a casket.
In a tweet, the department pleaded for the suspect or suspects to return the body.
“Out of all the bad decisions you have made, at least make one good one & bring back the deceased person & casket inside the Navigator,” wrote the department.
KABC and TMZ report that the stolen hearse was found after it crashed during a police pursuit on a freeway. The chase reportedly began around 7:35 a.m. Thursday after someone reported seeing the vehicle. Police tell KABC that the pursuit ended about 15 minutes later.
Police say the body was found inside the damaged vehicle after the chase, KABC reports.