Portland Man Tried to Hijack Ambulance With Patient Still Inside, Cops Say

A 43-year-old Portland man is facing a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges after prosecutors say he walked up to an active ambulance, climbed into the driver's seat, and tried to drive off with a patient still being treated in the back. Jonathan Paul Ryan told police afterward that he simply needed a ride to the hospital.

According to court records reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Ryan approached the ambulance while an emergency medical technician was inside the rear compartment treating a patient. Per a probable cause affidavit filed August 18, Ryan hopped into the driver's seat and attempted to start the vehicle and drive away. The EMT snatched the keys from the ignition before Ryan could get the ambulance moving, and then physically ejected him from the vehicle, court records show.

Prosecutors allege Ryan then tried to punch the EMT, according to the affidavit. Portland police arrested Ryan following the confrontation, and he was taken into custody last week.

A Long List of Charges

Ryan now faces attempted first-degree aggravated theft, attempted unauthorized use of a vehicle, attempted third-degree assault, fourth-degree attempted felony assault, and interfering with an emergency medical technician, per the affidavit detailed in the OregonLive report. He also faces a separate charge of third-degree robbery tied to the same incident. Court records show Ryan has an open third-degree theft case pending separately, along with a second-degree assault conviction from 2024.

The felony theft charge alone reflects how Oregon law treats attempts to steal high-value emergency vehicles. Under Oregon Revised Statute 164.057, First-Degree Aggravated Theft becomes a Class B felony carrying up to 10 years in prison once the value of stolen or attempted stolen property tops $10,000 — a threshold fully equipped ambulances clear many times over, according to the Oregon State Legislature.

Why Interference Charges Carry Extra Weight

The interference charge stems from Oregon Revised Statute 162.257, which makes it a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, to intentionally act to prevent an emergency medical services provider from performing official duties. State law extends that protection broadly, covering certified EMT-Basics, Advanced EMTs, EMT-Intermediates, and Paramedics across both municipal and private agencies, per the Oregon State Legislature.

If physical injury to an EMT is proven while the provider is performing official duties, Oregon law allows prosecutors to elevate an assault charge to Assault in the Third Degree, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison under ORS 163.165(1)(g). Oregon appellate courts have also made clear these interference cases cannot simply be settled between the parties. In July 2026, the Court of Appeals of Oregon ruled in State v. Hernandez that charges under ORS 162.257 are ineligible for civil compromise, reasoning that the statute protects public safety broadly rather than a single victim, according to FindLaw.

Not Portland's First Ambulance Scare

Ryan's arrest lands roughly a month after Hoodline reported that a Portland man hijacked a downtown ambulance carrying medics and a patient, a case that drew comparisons to a similar incident in San Antonio the same month, where police intercepted a hijacked ambulance carrying paramedics and a patient on the city's Southwest side with everyone inside uninjured. Oregon has seen worse outcomes before: in May 2022, Oregon State Police arrested a driver who commandeered an active Woodburn ambulance near Portland, drove it onto sidewalks and into opposing traffic lanes, rammed a police vehicle, and crashed on Interstate 5 after a 20-mile pursuit, according to the Associated Press. And in July 2020, a $100,000 ambulance carrying $50,000 in medical equipment was stolen from Santiam Hospital in Stayton and burned to the frame on a remote logging road, per EMS1.

These incidents unfold against a backdrop of strain on Portland-area emergency medical resources. In February 2024, the Portland City Council passed a resolution urging Multnomah County to change its ambulance staffing model to address so-called Level 0 situations, when zero emergency ambulances are available to answer 911 calls — a shortage that came as county contractor American Medical Response faced over $2 million in fines in 2023 for delayed response times. Just three weeks ago, Hoodline reported that a stabbing victim in Gresham flagged down an ambulance himself at a gas station, underscoring how exposed mobile EMS crews can be while working in public.

Ryan's case remains pending in Multnomah County, and it is unclear when he is next scheduled to appear in court.