Stolen Hearse Police Chase Ends With Crash On 110 Freeway

PASADENA, CA — The driver of a stolen hearse with a body inside it led police on a wild chase through Los Angeles Thursday morning before crashing on the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway at Vernon Avenue, shutting down the freeway.

Police searched all night for the stolen hearse, even pleading on social media for the driver to, at least, return the body of the woman inside the vehicle when the Lincoln Navigator was stolen. At 7:45 a.m. Thursday, the vehicle was spotted and chased by law enforcement authorities, and it crashed on the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway near Vernon Avenue in the south Los Angeles area.

The casket and body were still inside the vehicle, and the driver was taken into custody, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The hearse was reported stolen about 8:05 p.m. from the 700 block of Rosemead Boulevard, near St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

"Out of all the bad decisions you have made, at least make one good one & bring back the deceased person & casket inside the Navigator," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tweeted shortly after the hearse was stolen Wednesday night.

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City News Service contributed to this report.