WEXFORD, Pa. - Former University of Pittsburgh quarterback Phil Jurkovec was arrested Friday after police say he stole a box truck from the valet garage at AHN Wexford Hospital in Allegheny County.

Jurkovec, 26, is charged with one count of theft by unlawful taking and one count of receiving stolen property. Both charges are felonies, according to court records cited by CBS Pittsburgh.

Police said the truck belonged to Rental Time, a local equipment rental company.

An employee told officers he was loading tables and chairs from a hospital function into the truck when someone entered the vehicle and drove away.

Rental Time owner Deborah Clager told CBS Pittsburgh that the employee heard the truck's doors open and close before the vehicle suddenly left the garage.

Truck tracked using GPS

Investigators were able to follow the location of the stolen truck using its GPS system.

Cranberry Township police eventually stopped the vehicle and identified Jurkovec as the driver, according to police accounts reported by CBS Pittsburgh.

KDKA Radio reported that the truck was stopped near Victory Church on Family Road in Cranberry Township.

Jurkovec was taken into custody following the stop.

Authorities have not publicly explained why Jurkovec was at the hospital or alleged a motive for taking the truck.

AHN Wexford Hospital is located along Perry Highway, or U.S. Route 19, in Pine Township, about 19 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh.

Bail set at $25,000

Online court records cited by CBS Pittsburgh show Jurkovec's bail was set at $25,000.

He was unable to post bail and was being held at the Allegheny County Jail as of the latest publicly available reporting.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this month.

An attorney representing Jurkovec declined to comment to CBS Pittsburgh.

The charges are allegations, and Jurkovec has not been convicted of the offenses.

Former Western Pennsylvania football standout

Jurkovec was one of Western Pennsylvania's most prominent high school football players before beginning his college career.

He played at Pine-Richland High School, where he helped lead the Rams to WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A championships in 2017.

Jurkovec began his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to Boston College and later Pitt.

He played his final college season for the Panthers in 2023.

Jurkovec began that season as Pitt's starting quarterback before later moving to tight end.

He subsequently participated in a Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp but was not signed to the team's roster.

Jurkovec later worked as a legislative aide in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A House Republican spokesperson told CBS Pittsburgh that his employment ended in November 2025.

Case moves to preliminary hearing

The next step in the criminal case will be a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors will be required to establish that there is sufficient evidence for the charges to proceed.

No additional charges had been publicly reported as of Tuesday.

The box truck was recovered following the police stop, according to local reporting.

The American Desk will update this story if additional court records or information from investigators becomes available.