Junkyard Workers Use Forklift to Trap Apparent Car Thief ’20 Feet in the Air’ Until Police Arrive

Junkyard workers used a forklift to trap a would-be thief "20 feet in the air" so that he couldn't escape from police custody.

The employees, who work at Arlington Auto Wrecking in Akron, Ohio, said they spotted the suspect inside one of their cars Tuesday afternoon and suspected he might be trying to steal it or take parts from it.

It appeared that the man had either crashed the vehicle or passed out inside, Cleveland station WOIO reported.

One employee reportedly hopped on a forklift and cranked the car 20 feet into the air before the man could get out. The workers then called 911 and asked for police assistance — but they reassured the operator the suspect wouldn't be escaping anytime soon.

"I refuse to drop this thing to let him out and run,” one employee said, according to a recording obtained by WOIO.

“Wonderful, that is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard,” the 911 operator replied. “We, we will get somebody out to you.”

When police arrived, they simply lowered the vehicle and opened the door to apprehend the man.

Alexander Funk, 26, was arrested for criminal trespassing and possessing criminal tools.

The workers said they'd recognized the man attempting to break into cars on at least several previous occasions — and that theft had become a major issue at their junkyard.

Among the most coveted items are catalytic converters, which often contain valuable rare-earth minerals like palladium, platinum, and rhodium.

It's not the first time a forklift has been used off-label. In August, a pair of suspected thieves in Sacramento attempted to use a forklift to haul away a stolen ATM on their pickup truck.

The plan didn't work as intended: They repeatedly smashed into the machine, knocked it over, and destroyed its outer casing — only for it to eventually fall off their truck as they tried to escape.

That same month, a man allegedly used a stolen forklift to rampage through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, smashing through an Apple store and a landmark bell.