Wisconsin Teenager Steals a Funeral Home Van

A 15-year-old in Madison was arrested after stealing a funeral home van and then abandoning it after taking a “joy ride.”

According to Madison Police, the empty van was stolen from the garage of the Funeral Home on Saturday.

An employee had just pulled in, and left the van unlocked with the key fob inside.

The van is used to transport the expired from place of death to funeral home.

Tuesday morning, another funeral home employee, driving a similar van, spotted the van operating near him.

The van was on the street where the funeral home also has a parlor.

The employee called police.

A 15-year-old, behind the wheel of CRESS3, blew a red light and nearly collided with a car while accelerating to an estimated 70 mph.

 The MPD followed the path make sure no collisions had occurred.

Officers recovered the van in a High Ridge Trail parking lot.

Inside were electronics and other items that appeared to be stolen. Included was the business card of a corporate executive was found with a laptop computer.

A witness indicated four teens had fled from the van onto the Nine Springs Golf Course. A MPD captain positioned his squad on high ground, giving him vantage over most fairways and greens. He spotted a foursome: "They were not dressed in golf attire and did not have golf clubs," he noted in his report.

The teenager claimed not to have stolen the van; rather a social media buddy let him know "he's got traffic," which the teen explained meant his friend had a car.