HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A homeless man is facing charges after Hingham Police say he stole a car from a 99 Restaurant parking lot early Sunday morning to keep warm.
Officers responded around 1:30 a.m. to 428 Lincoln Street after an employee told police his car was missing from the parking lot.
Police say the employee started his car to warm it up before leaving work. Surveillance video showed a man wearing an orange jacket walking toward the car before it was seen driving away.
While at the restaurant, an officer spotted the stolen vehicle passing by from Beal Street onto Lincoln Street. The officer caught up with the vehicle and stopped it near the Weymouth Boat Ramp.
The driver, who was wearing an orange jacket, told police he was staying in a tent in Bare Cove Park and that he was out of propane, which he used to keep warm. The man said he feared he could die from the overnight low temperatures.
John D. Hastings, 59, was taken to the hospital for treatment before he was arrested and charged with larceny of a motor vehicle. He was ordered held on $250 bail.
Hastings was slated to be arraigned Monday in Plymouth District Court.
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