Coronavirus test samples stolen in Chicago from lab tech’s vehicle at gas station

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Five coronavirus samples were stolen from a lab employee’s car at a Chicago gas station, police said Friday.

The Lab Corps employee, a 42-year old woman, left her car unlocked and running after she pulled over at a South Side gas station shortly before 7 p.m., FOX 32 reported.

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As she entered the station, two men stole her car, a 2015 Jeep Cherokee.

After enlisting the help of a relative, the lab tech located her car a few miles away. It was around midnight when she alerted nearby police officers, as the two men were still in the car, according to the report.

The men fled the vehicle when police approached and police are still searching for them, the report said.

The police were able to confirm that five of the samples were missing after repossessing the vehicle.

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Neither of the men has been located, and a search is ongoing.

As of Thursday, Illinois has 16,422 confirmed cases, with 528 deaths. Of that number, Chicago accounted for at least 6,619 of those cases and 196 deaths.