Suspected thief dies when car jack slips and crushes him in Pierce County field

A man trying to steal car parts for metal died when a jack slipped and crushed him beneath the vehicle.

Nicholas McBride, 61, was found unresponsive April 3 in a field in the 17900 block of 45th Avenue East.

One of McBride’s acquaintances told Pierce County sheriff’s deputies McBride planned to steal the catalytic converter from a 1992 Lexus LS in a field.

When the acquaintance noticed McBride’s van still parked in the field the next morning, he went to check on him and discovered McBride beneath the car.

The jack near one of the back tires apparently slid out and crushed McBride, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

McBride was wearing work gloves and had several tools next to him when he died. His van was allegedly full of scrap metal.

A dog left in his van was taken by Animal Control.

This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 9:47 AM.