If there is a heaven, two Michigan criminals are going to have some explaining to do at the Pearly Gates. They reportedly stole a car from a church parking lot—in the middle of a service!

This story comes out of Saint Clair Shores, a town on Lake Saint Clair in Southeastern Michigan. Surveillance footage shows a black SUV driving into the Catholic Church’s parking lot during 4 p.m. mass on August 9th. While the priest taught those inside, “Thou shall not steal” thieves circles the packed parking lot, then stop by a burgundy crossover. Someone jumped into the second vehicle, and both cars made a rapid exodus from the parking lot.

Monsignor Mike Bugarin confirmed the thieves nabbed a Ford Edge. How did they steal it so quickly? The parishioner admitted to church officials that the vehicle was unlocked, the keys left inside. Perhaps the owner was hoping for some divine protection on church grounds. But Ford giveth and Ford thieves taketh away.

Macomb County is in the greater Detroit Metropolitan Area. According to Planet Detroit, auto theft is down year-over-year, but has yet to return to pre-COVID levels. “As of May 15, 2,189 auto thefts were reported in Detroit this year, an average of 15 per day… although the city has seen about 1,000 fewer thefts since 2022, auto theft remains higher than it was in 2018, when Detroit saw 6,454 thefts.”