Florida man arrested for stealing truck carrying coffins, troopers say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Jacksonville man has been accused of driving a stolen box truck full of stolen caskets.

On Monday, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office asked them to be on the lookout for a Ryder truck reportedly stolen from a casket company.  On Monday morning, troopers stopped the truck and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled.

The suspected driver, 39-year-old David Ayers, led troopers on a 25-mile pursuit along Interstate 295, according to FOX News. Sgt. Dylan Bryan said Ayers was driving between 55 to 60 mph, which was below the speed limit.

“He was not driving in an erratic manner,” Sgt. Bryan said.

Before noon, Ayers exited the highway and entered Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. He approached an intersection with a red light and that’s where troopers arrested him, officials said.

Inside the truck, they said they found three empty caskets, along with burglary tools. Troopers said they also found a payment system for a car wash vacuum, as well as the vacuums themselves.

Sgt. Bryan said Ayers may have “ripped out car wash vacuum machines out of the car wash to get the money out.”

Ayers was arrested on several charges including auto theft, fleeing and eluding an officer, and driving with a suspended license.