Good Samaritan's truck stolen as he stopped to help in fiery crash, officials say

You know the phrase, “No good deed goes unpunished?” In this case, it was true.

A good Samaritan stopped to help when he witnessed a fiery crash Monday night on I-95 in Volusia County.

To his surprise, one of the crashed drivers stole the good Samaritan’s truck and drove away.

A sheriff’s deputy at the scene issued a countywide alert for the stolen truck and its driver, and it wasn’t long before the suspected thief, Zachary Searls, 27, was found, authorities said.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — TRENDING NOW:

Deputies ran the crashed vehicle’s tag and found an address in Daytona Beach registered to the car, investigators said. When they arrived, deputies saw the stolen truck parked in the driveway, authorities said.

Searls exited the house and walked toward the truck, but upon seeing the deputies, he turned around and went into the house, investigators said. Searls was taken into custody.

Watch body camera video of the scene below:

Good Samaritan stops to help after witnessing a fiery crash on I-95. His reward: A thief involved in the crash stole his truck. Deputies were able to track down the suspect, arrest him and return the truck to its owner. We thank him for being one of the good guys! pic.twitter.com/WOoNNibF8a
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) January 15, 2019

The victim was brought to the home, where he identified Searls. Deputies said they also spoke with Searls’ roommate, who said he had allowed Searls to borrow his father’s car.

Searls was taken to the Volusia County Jail where he remains on $6,000 bail. He is charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, not having a valid driver’s license and resisting an officer without violence.

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash. Officials said the other driver involved in the crash was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach with injuries considered non-life-threatening.