A homeless man was arrested driving a stolen car early Sunday morning. An employee at business had left their car running to warm up in the parking lot.

On March 18, 2018 at 1:36am an employee of the 99 Restaurant at 428 Lincoln St. reported his car, a red 2009 Ford Fusion, was missing from the parking lot. The employee had started his car 15 minutes earlier to warm it up before leaving. A video showed a man wearing an orange jacket walking toward the car before it was seen driving out of the lot.

A short time later while an Officer was still in the 99 Restaurant lot he saw a red Fusion drive from Beal St. onto Lincoln St. passing by the front of the restaurant. After it passed the cruiser, it made a U-turn on Lincoln St. and accelerated, heading toward the Back River Bridge and into Weymouth. The Officer lost sight of it as it crossed over the bridge but saw it again after it turned right onto Neck St. He caught up to the Fusion and verified it was the stolen car. He signaled it to pull over near the Weymouth Boat Ramp on River St. as another Hingham and Weymouth Officers arrived.

The Fusion pulled over and the driver, who was wearing an orange jacket, was placed under arrest without incident. Officers then recognized him by name as homeless person from the area. He said he was staying in a tent in Bare Cove Park in Hingham. He said his propane ran out, which he uses to keep warm, and he feared he could die from the overnight low temperatures. Due to his prolonged exposure to the cold, he was treated at the hospital. Upon his release he was booked at the Hingham Police station.

Arrested was John D. Hastings, age 59, who previously lived in Hingham. He was charged with Larceny of a Motor Vehicle and Operating after License Suspension (Subsequent Offense). He was held on $250 cash bail at the Plymouth County House of Correction for his arraignment at Hingham District Court on March 19, 2018. ### Contact: P.I.O. Sgt. Steven Dearth