A thief in California got more than he bargained for after he stole an SUV outside a church with a dead body inside.

The vehicle was parked outside a Greek Orthodox church in Pasadena, east of Los Angeles, and was left running as the driver dropped off one body, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy Grace Medrano told AFP.

She said another body was in the black Lincoln Navigator when it was stolen.

In a message on Twitter, the sheriff's department appealed to the suspect to at least return the corpse.

"Out of all the bad decisions you have made, at least make one good one and bring back the deceased person and casket inside the Navigator," the message said.

The suspect was finally arrested on Thursday after a driver reported seeing the vehicle.

A police pursuit ended with the suspect crashing the SUV into another vehicle on a freeway.

The body was still inside the vehicle, authorities said.