A quiet Friday night in Jacksonville’s Brentwood neighborhood turned strange when an ambulance vanished from Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Station 9 and later surfaced near I‑95 and Busch Drive, where police arrested a suspect.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department confirmed the theft and said the case is under active investigation. According to Action News Jax, officers were dispatched Friday night after the ambulance was reported stolen from Station 9, which serves the Brentwood area of North Jacksonville. A person was taken into custody, but authorities have not released the individual’s name or any formal charges.
How Authorities Tracked the Vehicle
Police located the ambulance near the interstate and recovered it without any reported injuries. Officials have not yet detailed whether the rig suffered damage, or how long it was on the road before being found.
Stolen emergency vehicles are rare, but when it happens, it tends to get chaotic fast. Nationally, some incidents have ended in wrecked vehicles and hefty criminal counts. As AP has reported, stolen ambulances elsewhere have led to felony charges and wide-ranging investigations. Closer to home, a 2023 chase involving a stolen ambulance wrapped up in dramatic fashion right on the front lawn of a sheriff’s office, News4Jax reported.
What Officials Say Comes Next
JSO and JFRD say they are working jointly to untangle what led up to Friday night’s theft and the subsequent arrest. So far, investigators have not released a charging affidavit or clarified whether any patients, bystanders, or on-duty personnel were directly impacted, according to Action News Jax.
Both agencies say more information will be released as the investigation moves forward. For now, residents in Brentwood are left with an unsettling question: how did someone manage to drive off in an ambulance from a city fire station in the first place?
