A New Hampshire homeowner allegedly made a house fire even more dangerous by taking a fire rescue truck from the crews trying to save his own burning home, ramming emergency vehicles and crashing miles away.
Nestor Roman II, 30, of Dalton, was arrested Tuesday after authorities said the Whitefield Fire & Rescue F550 vanished from the fire scene near Faraway Road and Mountain Road.
The house was already burning heavily enough for Dalton Fire & Rescue to bring in several surrounding departments.
New Hampshire State Police troopers were headed to Dalton around 3:50 a.m. to help with the fire when the call changed: a Whitefield Fire & Rescue vehicle was missing.
Fire officials said Roman allegedly took the F550 shortly before 5 a.m., while crews were still working to knock down the flames.
Whitefield’s E3 fire engine quickly became part of the danger.
Roman allegedly guided the F550 near the E3, coming close to two firefighters and missing a third responder by only a small margin.
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The department said that third firefighter could have been caught between the two large vehicles.
The F550 then allegedly struck the E3 and a small pickup as Roman was “forcing their way onto the road ahead,” the department said.
Crews still had water lines stretched out for the fire when the truck left the area. State police said Roman crossed several lines supplying water to the operation.
Dalton Fire & Rescue said two loaded hoses were run over during the incident, but they continued functioning and were not damaged.
The impact spread beyond the immediate fire scene. Fire officials said a firefighter’s personal vehicle was hit farther down the road, and state police said wooden fences on two different properties were damaged.
Roman’s drive ended after another Dalton homeowner called police and said the stolen rescue truck had landed on their property several miles from Roman’s home.
That homeowner also told authorities Roman was allegedly trying to remove items from the porch.
Troopers reached the property soon after and found Roman on the porch, police said. He did not cooperate before officers arrested him.
Roman was charged with three felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, burglary and two counts of theft by unauthorized taking.
State police also listed misdemeanor counts of obstructing government administration, four counts of conduct after an accident, resisting arrest and detention, driving after suspension subsequent and two counts of driving over a fire hose without consent.
The E3 fire engine was damaged but stayed available for crews at the scene. Firefighters later put out the blaze, but the house was a “complete loss.”
Another fire-department vehicle theft case in Wisconsin involved a woman police said was discovered naked inside a Pleasant Prairie department pickup after a late-night ride.
Emily Fair, 36, was arrested in August after officers located the pickup at a Department of Public Works garage shortly before 1 a.m. on a Tuesday, police said.
Before officers caught up with her, Fair allegedly got on the fire department radio, mumbled, then asked, “I’m hungry, you got food in there?”
Bodycam footage showed Fair moving the pickup backward as a cop rushed toward it.
“Hey, stop it!” the officer shouted.
Fair opened the driver’s door after the officer ordered her out, revealing that she was sitting nude in the vehicle.
“Oh jeez,” the officer said.
“You’ve been drinking?” the cop questioned.
“No,” Fair answered.
“So why are you naked, driving a truck?” the officer quesioned.
Fair told the officer she was a firefighter, but authorities said that wasn’t the case. She also claimed she had approval to take the pickup.
“I doubt it,” the officer mumbled.
WISN cited court documents saying surveillance footage showed Fair climbing into the pickup, switching on its emergency lights and driving away from the station.
Officers later recovered Fair’s dress from the vehicle, police said. She was brought in for a medical review before being arrested.
Fair was charged with a felony for allegedly stealing and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
In Colorado, authorities said a man walked out of a Boulder jail in April and allegedly stole a fire truck parked outside.
The Boulder Police Department identified him as Richmond Takashi Johnson, 33. Police said he had an “extensive criminal history.”
Johnson had been booked earlier on third-degree trespassing charges after police were sent around 11:30 p.m. to a residential neighborhood, where a caller reported a man “trying to open the doors of cars and homes,” BPD said.
He was arrested around midnight and released about three and a half hours later under Colorado statute, officials said.
A separate medical call then brought fire rescue crews to the jail. While crews were treating a patient inside the booking lobby, Johnson allegedly got into the fire engine and drove away.
The truck made it about 1 mile before Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Boulder police spotted it, according to BPD.
Johnson allegedly kept driving rather than pulling over and eventually reached a major interstate about 10 miles away.
Longmont police joined the response and set out tire-deflation devices at at least three spots along the highway, officials said.
After the truck’s tires deflated, police said Johnson lost control and fled on foot.
Boulder Fire-Rescue Engine 143, one of the city’s electric RTX engines, was badly damaged.
Authorities said two Boulder County Sheriff’s Office vehicles were damaged, a third sheriff’s unit had lighter damage, and one officer suffered minor injuries during the pursuit.
Johnson faces nine additional charges that include obstruction, two counts of felony motor vehicle theft, resisting arrest, reckless driving, and felony criminal mischief, amongst others.
