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OGDEN — 2021 is off to a "precarious start," officials wrote, after an Ogden emergency vehicle was stolen early in the morning and recovered hours later.
In a news release from the Ogden Fire Department, officials said the ambulance was stolen while crews responded to a medical emergency and was recovered this morning in an local backyard.
According to the release, crews arrived at an apartment at 468 3rd St. about 2:50 a.m. Sunday and entered the facility. Medical care was provided, and a patient was "packaged for transport"; however, when the crew returned outside, they realized their ambulance had been stolen. They arranged for another ambulance to transport the patient, then alerted Ogden police.
Police in turn alerted the public early Sunday morning about the ambulance's disappearance in a since-deleted Facebook post. Around 8:30, the release says, someone called 911 and reported an ambulance was in a neighbor's backyard.
Ambulance has been recovered. We appreciate people sharing our previous post about the stolen ambulance. It has been recovered thanks to a citizen who called in after spotting it abandoned.
Posted by Ogden Police UT on Sunday, January 3, 2021
"We are grateful to the assistance of the citizen that noticed a public safety vehicle out of place," officials wrote.
There was no damage found to the vehicle and no equipment apparently taken. The motive behind the theft is unclear at this time.
The release cautions that although the ambulance was recovered safely, its theft "compromised patient care" and could have resulted in a "negative outcome" for the patient. Additionally, driving an emergency vehicle "requires training," officials wrote, and stealing one "creates a dangerous situation for the unknowing citizens who share the roadway."
"Fortunately," the release says, "the best possible outcome was realized."
Authorities are looking for a person of interest in connection with the theft but did not release his or her name Sunday. They released photos of the area where the vehicle was recovered but did not specify an address.
