The Willoughby Hills Fire Department reported that a man stole an ambulance from the Lake West Hospital parking lot on the morning of June 16, though his ride was stopped short after a paramedic jumped through an open window to stop him.
The man who attempted to steal the vehicle was taken into custody by the Willoughby Police Department and did not report any injuries, a Willoughby Hills Fire Department news release stated. Firefighter and paramedic Brian Paladino reported minor ankle and arm injuries.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. at the hospital entrance, the release stated. The ambulance crew was leaving the hospital after dropping off a used drug box from a previous patient, and they saw a man entering the vehicle’s passenger door.
The man then moved into the driver’s seat and began to drive the vehicle, the release said. Paladino jumped through the open driver-side window, subdued the driver and prevented the driver from further steering the ambulance.
The ambulance jumped a curb and stopped after crashing into the hospital’s helicopter landing pad. There was moderate damage to the ambulance and no damage to the hospital.
Paladino’s partner and hospital staff helped him secure the driver before police arrived, the news release stated.
It added that the man who stole the vehicle was not a hospital patient.
The department said that public safety vehicles are not commonly stolen. It will consider how to secure unattended ambulances going forward.
“Anytime someone makes the extremely poor decision to steal a public safety vehicle is putting themselves and everyone around them at risk,” said Willoughby Hills Fire Chief Robert Gandee in the news release. “Thankfully, the quick heroic actions of Firefighter/Paramedic Brian Paladino averted a potentially more disastrous scenario.”