Man steals ambulance for a ride home

[k2nnj]

Off topic but.........

http://tinyurl.com/4j9d7x

The West Milford Township First Aid Squad had no problem taking a local man to Chilton Memorial Hospital, even though his condition was not serious.

They did have a big problem, however, when he allegedly decided the best way to get home was to take one of their ambulances this afternoon.


"This guy should be prosecuted to the utmost,'' said Liam Glinane, the squad's public information officer, noting the man was arrested by the Pequannock Police Deparment.

"This was not a joy ride,'' continued Glinane, who said the man "jeopardized" the community's 911 response system. "There is no excuse for this stupidity and ignorance...We are annoyed beyond annoyed.''

Glinane said the man, whom he said he could not identify, took the vehicle around 3:45 p.m. when the ambulance crew was bringing another person into the hospital.

The man drove the ambulance about 15 miles to a shopping center, where he left it and walked to his residence. The vehicle and its equipment were not damaged.

A dispatcher for Pequannock Police said no officials would be available to provide any details on the case until Monday.

Fortunately, said Glinane, the squad was able to ensure nobody was denied service while the ambulance was missing.

"We lucked out,'' he said. "Things could have gone awry.''



They have a least 2 other Ambulances that I know of. We're they annoyed or embarrassed?

[mondaro]

In my town this guy would have been locked up and sent to the county jail with out fail.

If the locals up there didn't do the same thing shame on them there is NO excuse what

that jack ass did.

[stvnd53]

Did the man have his owne keys to this Rig?Or was they left inside the rigs while the Crew was inside the Hospital?
Since "9/11" there have been many warnning issued ,about the idea of useing an Ambulance for an attack.Many rigs are equipped with a switch inside the rig that once activated,if the brake pedal is pushed down,the rig stall out.

[jmp883]

I have no problem with the first aid squad being outraged at what happened. I hope that the person who stole the ambulance gets punished accordingly and not just a slap on the wrists because he was in the hospital E.R. as a patient. He obviously couldn't have been too critical if he was able to walk out of the E.R., drive an ambulance back to West Milford, walk home, and then get arrested later that evening.

However, I also hope that the residents of West Milford call for some type of public accountability from the ambulance crew responsible for allowing this to happen. I also hope that the majority of the outrage that the first aid squad says they have gets directed towards the driver and crew of that ambulance. I was a driver on my local first aid squad for several years after 2001 and after my required advanced first aid and CPR courses the first thing that was drilled into me was that whenever we park and leave the rig all doors get locked.

I was also a volunteer firefighter for 20 years but it isn't as easy to steal fire apparatus, though I do know it's happened. Like most departments we always required that the chaueffer stay with the rig, even if that rig wasn't committed to the call. About the only times I can recall leaving fire apparatus unmanned was when attending a parade or wetdown.

I'm glad they got their ambulance back with no apparent damage or losses but there better be some public accountability made within the next couple of days. There's no excuse for being careless with a vehicle costing $100K +.

[k2nnj]

I agree completely. You never ever leave the keys in the rig anywhere.

To stvnd53:

I didn't know they made that switch for ambulances. I know police vehicles have them so that you can leave the car running in the winter time. You were able to take the key out of the ignition.

[stvnd53]

Many,if not all Atlantic rigs and most St.Clairs MICU trucks have it.It's a Small black switch on the dash...hit the switch,remove key and it armed to shut off engine when the brake it applied.You must apply foot brake in order to get the truck out fo park.
SO if you ever have to drive the MICU truck,GET THE KEYS FROM the MEDICS!!!!!!or be ready to sit there looking stupid,as the Ambulance speeds off to the hospital...learned that the hard way

[gcr33]

Hey at least the rig went for a ride. Most of the time you can't get a rig in Bergen Co anyway.

Yes lets chastise the volunteers who came out to help their community. Let's hold them up to additional public ridicule. Like they really wanted this to happen.
After all we know that there is a waiting list of people just wanting to volunteer their time.

After all you hear it all the time, one borough/village/city to another on the radio or phone calling can you get us a rig because there are so many available. Time for Bergen and the rest of the state to stop the nonsense and get a paid transport service.

[k2nnj]

Originally Posted by stvnd53

Many,if not all Atlantic rigs and most St.Clairs MICU trucks have it.It's a Small black switch on the dash...hit the switch,remove key and it armed to shut off engine when the brake it applied.You must apply foot brake in order to get the truck out fo park.
SO if you ever have to drive the MICU truck,GET THE KEYS FROM the MEDICS!!!!!!or be ready to sit there looking stupid,as the Ambulance speeds off to the hospital...learned that the hard way

I forgot about the ST. Clare's Medic Trucks. I have driven 55,56, and 57 many times and I never had problem with that. Most of the time I needed to ask what medic they we're so I could call into Cencom.