Church van stolen, totaled in crash in Warren

A church van used to help those less fortunate was stolen, and then totaled in a crash in Warren. 

The van was stolen from the Harvest Time Christian Fellowship in south Warren. Pastor Curtiss Ostosh there says without this van, they can't do their ministry. 

The van was donated by a couple who are members of the congregation, and owners of the Passport Pizza chain. 

"My husband graciously said he could borrow it when he needed it, and then it just became 24/7 and it just kind of became the church's van," Sue LaTour says. 

Curtiss spends 8 to 10 hours a day in the van, using it to haul 25,000 lbs. of food a month. 

"This is devastating, because without a van we can't pick up the pallets of food," he says. 

When it got ripped off Saturday morning, Curtiss put a post out on Facebook. Comments said the van had been spotted around metro Detroit all day Saturday. It's hard to miss - it's got huge Passport Pizza 'n' Ribs red and yellow logos on the sides. 

The van ultimately came to smashing halt when whomever was driving it ran into a parked car in a neighborhood just a half mile away from the church.

The driver tried to get away from the scene, but people in the neighborhood who knew the church van was missing stepped in and held the man there until Warren police could arrest him.

"These guys are just real heroes that they would take the initiative, because in the society of, 'Not my problem' kind of mentality, they stepped up and did what citizens should do. They stopped a criminal," Pastor Ostosh says. 

For now, Passport Pizza is stepping up. Again.

"Today, I let him use my other van," owner Mike Bischoff says with a laugh. 

With only minimal insurance on the original van, they need a long term fix.

"I think it's totaled out now. We are hoping someone will step up to the plate that has an extra vehicle that would donate it to the ministry," Bischoff says. 

"My feelings are, as a Christian, I have to forgive. So I forgive this man; I have no grudges; I have no angst," says Pastor Ostosh. 

If you're interested in making a donation to the church, you can do so online via a GoFundMe account here