Man stole school bus in Adams County to transport dead deer, police say

A Pennsylvania man stole a school bus in an effort to transport a dead deer to his home, he told police. In the process, he led cops on a chase in and out of York and Cumberland counties.

Tony Jay Saunders Jr., 24, was charged with multiple felonies following the pursuit on Tuesday, according to police.

Carroll Township police were notified that a stolen bus was seen in the Dillsburg area around 7:10 a.m., according to police. The bus had been taken from Abbottstown and state police had issued a notice for law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout in York and Adams counties.

York County has its own "Florida man" story as police allege Tony Saunders Jr. led officers on a pursuit in a stolen school bus from Dillsburg to the Camp Hill area with a dead deer in the back.

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— York Dispatch (@YorkDispatch) April 5, 2023

Police said officers were told that the bus had “Lincoln Coachlines” written on the side and the bus was number 0877.

Patrol officers saw the school bus driving through the parking lot of Giant Foods and Rite Aid in Carroll Township, and said the lights on the bus were turning on and off intermittently.

The bus left the parking lot and turned onto W. Siddonsburg Road to enter Route 15 North, police said. When the bus turned, officers could see the words printed on the side and the back of the bus which had the matching numbers of the stolen vehicle.

Officers caught up to the bus on Route 15 in the area of the Mechanicsburg/Bowmansdale exit, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, police said.

The bus pulled over near the turn off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but then began driving away and continued North, winding in and out of traffic lanes, police said.

After passing the exit for Lower Allen Drive, the bus left the highway, drove over a berm and nearly rolled over, police said. The bus continued onto Gettysburg Road in Lower Allen Township, where it turned into a nearby neighborhood.

The driver, later identified as Saunders, exited the bus and tried running through a wooded area, leaving the bus behind, police said. Bystanders gave police a physical description of him, and Lower Allen Township officers found him near some railroad tracks.

Saunders tried running away from police, leading them through parking lots and busy traffic areas, police said. He stripped off his clothing in the process and was naked when he was apprehended.

He admitted to taking the bus earlier in the day after he crashed a BMW, and explained that he placed a dead deer in the back of the bus, police said. His plan was to drive the deer to his residence and use it as fertilizer for his garden. Online court dockets list his address as being in Florida.

Saunders is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and was issued a summary citation for reckless driving, according to online court dockets. He is being held at York County Prison on $100,000 bail.