Former Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec was arrested after police say he stole a truck from AHN Wexford in Wexford, Pa., about 22 miles north of Pitt’s Oakland campus.
Court documents from KDKA CBS News say Jurkovec took a box truck from the hospital’s valet garage. Police were alerted after an employee of a rental company reported the vehicle stolen while loading trays and tables into it.
The truck’s GPS tracking helped Cranberry Township police locate it quickly, and officers soon identified Jurkovec as the driver. Court documents list Jerry Vernail as the arresting officer.
Jurkovec was charged with receiving stolen property and theft by unlawful taking, and both counts are felonies. He also did not post his $25,000 bail and remains in the Allegheny County Jail.
His preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 30 at 9:00 a.m., with Matthew J. Brungo assigned as the judge for Magisterial District Court 05-2-12.
A western Pennsylvania native from Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., Jurkovec spent one season at Pitt in 2023 after earlier stops at Notre Dame from 2018-19 and Boston College from 2020-22. He played his first two seasons at Boston College under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr., who later joined Pitt in the same role in 2022.
His lone season with the Panthers never got on track. Jurkovec finished 57-of-112 passing for 818 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in five starts. Pitt benched him after a 38-21 loss to Viriginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Week 5, then used both Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell the rest of the season.
The roughest stretches came in two rivalry losses early in the year. Against Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium in the River City Rivalry in Week 2, Jurkovec went 10-of-32 for 179 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-21 loss. A week later at Milan Puskar Stadium in the Backyard Brawl, he completed 8-of-20 passes for 81 yards and three interceptions in a 17-6 defeat.
It’s a jarring turn for a player who once had the look of an NFL path ahead of him.
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