Rachel Fieldhouse
Legal

"You don't do that to a hearse": Thieves blasted over despicable act

A funeral home has been the subject of an unusual robbery after thieves stripped the wheels of a hearse - and its owner has a message to share with those responsible.

Arriving at work on Sunday at Te Awahou Funeral Services in Foxton, New Zealand, owner Jayden Moore discovered that one of his hearses was missing its two rear wheels.

"In between Saturday and Sunday, we had boy racers out past the funeral home doing skids – obviously we don't know if it was them, but putting two and two together we can imagine they've needed wheels for their car,” he said.

The hearse had been sitting out, ready to be used for a service that morning, with Mr Moore telling the NZ Herald that he had to run around to find an alternative.

"We came into work to do a service for a family and we've had to run around and find a new [hearse] - we have two but they're set up for different reasons,” he told the outlet.

In a message for the thieves, Mr Moore urged them to consider the implications of their actions.

"You've not ripped me off, you've ripped these loved ones off," he said.

Mr Moore told the Herald that his staff and the local community had been left fuming at the theft.

"Everyone is a bit p***ed off, you don't do that to a hearse – these a***holes don't know or don't care that it's tapu (‘sacred’ and prohibited) to touch anything to do with funeral services – they've got some bad karma coming their way."

He added that the community had been incredibly supportive and his business and “fully backed up” the funeral home.

“The community has been right behind us especially our local – fully backing the whole 'what a***holes would do that' kind of mentality,” he said.

Mr Moore isn’t aware of any cameras that could have captured the theft and has urged anyone in the community who saw anything or who has information to come forward.

“If anyone has any information, please get in touch with us,” he said.

Image: NZ Herald

Tags:
Legal, Robbery, Funeral Home, New Zealand, Hearse