Three people have been accused of stealing more than $53,000 worth of bronze flower vases from a Suffolk County cemetery over the last several months, police say.

Two men and a woman were arrested after police found their Volkswagen Beetle in the Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale early Thursday, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. 

Officers tried to stop the car because suspects had driven it in other thefts at the cemetery, police say. The driver tried to get away, smashing through a locked metal gate and leading police on a short chase.

After stopping the car, police took the trio into custody and linked them to several vase thefts at the cemetery between October and Thursday.

Two of the suspects have also been accused of stealing copper from a vacant North Babylon home in December, police say.

Pinelawn Memorial Park says it will replace any unrecovered stolen vases at no cost to the families.