Man Steals New Car for 'Zombie Apocalypse'

What started off as a night drinking and talking with friends turned into a 22-year-old man being arrested on charges of stealing a car from a Novi dealership to survive the 'zombie apocalypse,' according to a police report.

Novi police were dispatched to the area of Grand River Avenue and Karim with a report of a driver that might be intoxicated, the report said. The officer found a car in the south side ditch in front of Pheasant Run Plaza and a man standing uninjured next to the vehicle, the report said. The man told the police he tried to turn into the plaza but missed, the report said. The officer could smell the odor of intoxicants on the man and gave him a Breathalyzer test, the report said. The man had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19, which is above Michigan’s legal driving limit of 0.08.

After the officer arrested the man on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, he noticed the car the man was driving did not have a license plate, the report said. The officer asked the man if he owned the car, and he said it was from the dealership, the report said. When the officer asked him more about the car, the man said “because I needed a more dependable vehicle because of the apocalypse,” the report said. The man admitted to stealing the car when the officer asked him, the report said. Another officer went to the dealership and found the west showroom glass doors forced open and a single entry glass door near the service bay.

In his statement, the man said he and his friends had begun drinking at a home at 10 p.m., then went to a bar to drink more. He said he and his friends talked all night about the TV show The Walking Dead and other zombie-type movies, the report said. The man was dropped off at home, the report said.

“My best guess is that I closed my eyes, woke up, and freaked out about the zombie apocalypse,” he said in his statement to police.

The man then got into his 1999 vehicle and began to drive around looking for food, finding the streets empty and restaurants closed, the report said.  He then decided he needed a car with more fuel and one that would be more durable and last longer than his older car, the report said.

The man said he isn’t clear on how the rest of the night went. He told police that it is plausible that he broke into the dealership via the single service bay door and walked into showroom. He found a car in the showroom and drove it forward and through the double glass doors on the west side of building, the report said.

While driving, he came across Pheasant Run Plaza and wanted to see if any restaurants were open, the report said. The man said he passed the plaza and pulled into the ditch thinking it was the driveway, the report said.

When the officer asked the man if he had intended to return the car, the man said, “There was no one around, thought I was on my own, and that I was the only one left,” the statement in the report said.

The man faces charges of operating while intoxicated, burglary, breaking and entering and auto theft.

The man ended his statement with, “This a crazy situation but I thought something was going on regarding a nightmare about The Walking Dead series,” the report said.

If you have questions about this blotter, contact Editor Rebecca Jaskot at rebecca.jaskot@patch.com.