A lunatic stole a 35,000-pound fire engine in Washington state and took it on a frenzied joyride, plowing into more than a dozen vehicles before ditching it and escaping on foot Friday evening, authorities said.
The Everett Fire Department pumper truck was stolen around 11 p.m. Friday as its crew was responding to a medical emergency call on the fifth floor of a nearby building, according to ABC News.
By the time firefighters wrapped up with the emergency call and realized the pumper was missing, the first trickle of 911 calls started coming in to report a rogue fire truck had smashed into a pair of parked cars and fled the scene.
A minute later, another emergency call came through that the truck had crashed into another 10 vehicles and that the driver left it behind and ran away from the scene, the outlet writes. The suspect remained on the loose late Sunday.
Police responding to the wild scene said they discovered at least three locations where the thief left a trail of destruction, laying waste to trees and a street sign in addition to the vehicles.
At least 16 vehicles were damaged in the rampage. The 2018 Pierce Enforcer pumper truck — which retail from anywhere between $500,000 to $1 million — was also badly banged up and had to be taken out of service.
“Losing a fire engine in such a reckless manner not only jeopardizes the safety of our first responders but also puts our community at risk,” Everett Police Chief John DeRousse said in a statement.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of our residents, and any information that helps us resolve this incident is crucial. It is imperative that we hold the suspect accountable for their actions, and we will work diligently to bring them to justice.”
Miraculously, no injuries were reported.
“We are actively reviewing this incident and examining our policies and procedures to see what, if anything, can be done to help prevent such occurrences in the future,” Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco said in a statement.
