An Oakland County woman drove off in a stolen ambulance from outside the emergency room at McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac on Wednesday night, telling deputies she took the vehicle to rescue someone who was overdosing. Deputies stopped the Star EMS rig nearby, then administered Narcan to the woman inside the back of the ambulance, who regained consciousness and was stabilized.
The theft happened around 8:44 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. Prosecutors say the driver now faces a charge of Unlawful Driving Away of an Automobile in 50th District Court, a felony that hinges only on whether a vehicle was taken without authority, not on the driver's motive or intent to keep it.
Bystander Erwin Wilson captured video of the theft on his phone, showing someone shoving a leg into the rear compartment of the ambulance moments before it sped off with its back doors swinging open. Wilson later said he does not condone stealing an emergency vehicle, but added, “two wrongs don't make a right, but this time it did,” capturing the moral tangle at the center of the case.
No 911 Call Preceded the Theft
Investigators told reporters they have no record of a 911 dispatch call reporting a medical emergency before the ambulance was taken. The only call authorities received that night was the report of the stolen Star EMS vehicle itself, a gap that leaves open the question of why emergency services were not summoned through standard channels before the woman acted.
Star EMS, the private company that owns and operates the ambulance, declined to comment when contacted about the incident. Deputies were able to catch up with the vehicle shortly after it left the hospital grounds, and the overdose victim found inside received Narcan and was stabilized at the scene.
Good Samaritan Law Does Not Cover Vehicle Theft
Michigan's Good Samaritan overdose law, MCL 333.7403, shields people from drug possession charges when they seek emergency medical help during an overdose. But the statute explicitly carves out an exception in its fifth subsection, stating it does not prevent prosecution for other criminal offenses, including vehicle theft, which is why the felony charge stands regardless of the driver's stated intentions.
Under Michigan Penal Code Section 750.413, Unlawful Driving Away of an Automobile is a Class E felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Prosecutors need only prove the vehicle was taken without authorization, a lower bar than proving intent to permanently keep it, which is part of why the charge applies even when the driver says she was trying to save a life.
Same Hospital Entrance Saw a Similar Theft in 2014
This is not the first time an ambulance has vanished from that same emergency room entrance at McLaren Oakland Hospital. In December 2014, a 51-year-old man stole an unattended, running Star EMS ambulance from the identical location before he was arrested in Macomb County, a history that underscores a recurring vulnerability when emergency vehicles sit idling and unattended outside hospital doors.
Ambulance thefts tend to follow a similar pattern nationwide, occurring most often when emergency vehicles are left running or unattended during active patient transfers, though onboard tracking and police coordination typically lead to fast recovery, as seen in other recent cases involving stolen rigs in other states. The pattern held true in Pontiac, where deputies located the ambulance not far from the hospital.
Overdose Numbers Have Been Trending Down Locally
The incident comes amid a broader decline in overdose emergencies across Oakland County. Data from the county medical examiner and EMS providers showed a 37 percent drop in fatal drug overdoses in 2024 compared to the year before, alongside a 13.3 percent reduction in local EMS responses to non-fatal overdoses, according to Hoodline. Even with those improving trends, Wednesday night's episode shows how quickly a single overdose can still escalate into a chaotic, high-stakes scramble for help.
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