PALATKA, Fla. -- A Florida man, who reported seeing a naked man jump into his pickup truck, pursued the stolen vehicle until it crashed less than two miles away and then detained the accused thief until deputies arrived.

Naked Car Thief

The incident took place on U.S. Highway 17 about 9:30 a.m. Friday morning.

Dean Johnson, of Johnson's Towing, said he had just parked his 1987 Chevrolet pickup in the company parking when he ran in for a cup of coffee and left his keys in the ignition.

No sooner than he poured his coffee, Johnson said his secretary began screaming about someone taking off in his truck.

The woman called 911 to report what she witnessed:

Caller: "Hey, this is Holly at Johnson's Towing. A guy has taken one of our trucks and he's taken off. He's run over our fence."

911 Operator: "Do you have any idea who he is?"

Caller: "No. He ran through our yard naked and all of a sudden he jumped into our employee's truck."

"Instantaneously, I thought someone was just playing in it. Once he got to the gate and crashed through the gate, I knew something wasn't right," Johnson said.

Following at a distance, Johnson and his brother, Ronald, gave chase as they called the Putnam County Sheriff's Office for help.

Less than two miles away, the stolen pickup wrecked in a field on Reid Street, where Johnson detained the driver, later identified as Wayne Boylan, 41.

Maj. Gary Bowling was the first officer at the scene. He said he had to do a double take when the dust cleared.

"When the sea of civilians parted to find that the driver was naked, you kind of have to shift gears a little bit and figure out what to do next," Bowling said.

Boylan was cuffed, placed under arrested and charged with grand theft auto and trespassing.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said it was unclear why Boylan was naked or why the man stole Johnson's truck. However, Bowling said it was clear from his conversation with the suspect that drugs were involved.

"I asked him his name. I said, 'What's your name?' He said, 'Give me another hit and I'll tell you my name.' I said, 'Hit of what?' He said, 'Crack.' So, he was pretty clearly using drugs. That was just way outside of the norm," Bowling said.

Boylan was treated and released for injuries at Putnam County Medical Center before being booked into jail.