When St. Paul, Minnesota, police early Friday searched a GMC Yukon Denali that had crashed following a chase, they found an unlikely victim in the cargo area.

Four people fled the sports-utility vehicle, but Gordy the goat was found lying down with an orange electrical cord around his neck.

Police said Gordy had been abducted at Indian Mounds Park from a herd of goats that had been rented by the St. Paul Parks and Recreation department. Their job: To eat invasive plants on a difficult-to-reach bluff along the Mississippi River.

It was the St. Paul Police Department's first known case of goat-thieving, said spokesman Steve Linders. The motive is still a mystery.

"I wish I knew," said Clare Cloyd, a spokeswoman from St. Paul Parks and Recreation, which was only three days into its experiment with the goat herd when the theft occurred.

Linders said two 29-year-old men were arrested on potential charges of gross misdemeanor theft and fleeing police.

Gordy was returned unharmed to the park. Some of his herd had escaped through a damaged fence and were rounded up, according to park officials. Since then, a police Facebook post about the incident has gotten an usual amount of attention with comments like "stealing really gets my goat."