A suspected car thief got way more than he bargained for when he drove off in a mortuary’s van that had a body inside, police say.
He was gone for only about an hour Sunday before he allegedly discovered the extra cargo and returned to the mortuary in Riverside, California, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
Police said he then got behind the wheel of a different van belonging to the business and sped off, nearly running over an employee in the process.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like this,” Riverside Police Department spokesman Ryan Railsback told the Los Angeles Times. “Out of all the bad decisions he made, he at least made one good one and brought back the deceased person.”
Police reportedly gave chase and were able to stop his vehicle just a couple miles from the mortuary.
They arrested Bobby Joe Washington, 24, on suspicion of two counts of vehicle theft, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and evading a police officer, jailhouse records show.
Railsback told the Daily News that theft of a body was not among his charges because the act is not believed to have been intentional.
Neighbors reacted with shock and amusement to the incident.
“I know it’s not funny but it’s kind of, you steal a van and look in the back ― can you imagine?” Kathie Duncan told CBS LA.