Man arrested for stealing Good Samaritan's truck after collision in western P.E.I., police say

A 19-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing the truck of a person who stopped to help at the scene of a side-swipe collision between a car and a tractor trailer in Prince County, RCMP say. 

The collision happened Wednesday morning on Route 171 in Central Bedeque, police said in a news release. 

"A Good Samaritan driving a pickup truck stopped to check on this collision, and while out of their vehicle checking on the drivers to ensure people were in good health, the driver of the car then took the pickup truck and fled the scene," said Cpl. Gavin Moore, the P.E.I. RCMP's media relations officer. 

Global positioning system (GPS) technology installed by the truck's owner was "extremely valuable" to help police eventually track and locate the stolen truck in Queens County, Moore said. 

"With that GPS, this was a case where we had a strong advantage being able to know exactly where the truck was and find a location that was appropriate for a safe arrest," he said. 

For someone to steal a vehicle in front of its owner is a very rare circumstance, Moore said, but getting help from a passerby is not uncommon. 

"We're very fortunate that we're a tight-knit community here in P.E.I.," he said. "It's very common for a Good Samaritan to stop, and I certainly would encourage anybody to render assistance whenever they do come across a situation like this." 

'Trucks can be replaced'

Moore encouraged Islanders to remember that vehicles are just property and not to put themselves in danger in order to recover stolen items on their own. 

"Trucks can be replaced, cars can be replaced and it's never worth putting your own well-being or that of others at risk in order to recover something like this," he said. 

"Thankfully this was a situation where nobody was hurt, nobody put themselves at risk." 

The 19-year-old man will appear in Summerside court on June 18 to answer to charges related to the incident. He will also face a future court date in Charlottetown since the part of the alleged offence happened in Queens County.