Off-Duty Oak Forest Cop Stops to Offer Help, Catches Alleged Car Thief

An off-duty Oak Forest cop who stopped to help what appeared to be a stranded motorist in Kankakee County actually helped nab an alleged car thief.

Officer Craig Zelhart noticed a car in a ditch, with another behind it, and was then stunned by a young woman who darted in front of his truck, Tribune Media reports. The woman, 21, appeared distraught and cold, and shouted that she needed a ride to Beecher. The man in the other car sped away before the officer could speak with him.

The woman then reportedly admitted to stealing the car from outside a bar in Grant Park, because she was “ tired of walking everywhere and being cold.”

The two struggled after the woman jumped in the bed of the officer’s truck where his guns are stored. She swung a bag at him and “began speaking in tongues,” according to the report.

Other drivers called 911 and local police confirmed the car had been stolen. Officers also said the woman is known to be mentally ill and had not taken her medication.