Ohio firefighter jumps through window to stop ambulance theft at hospital

WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio (WJW) — An Ohio firefighter was injured Sunday morning while trying to stop an attempted ambulance theft at a hospital, the Willoughby Hills Fire Department reported.

An ambulance crew had stopped at the University Hospitals Lake West Medical Center around 10:30 a.m. to make a drug box exchange. As they were leaving the hospital, they saw a man getting into the parked ambulance and starting to drive off.

According to the fire department, firefighter Brian Paladino, who is also a paramedic, dove through the open driver's side window to subdue the man and get the steering wheel out of his hands.

"As a result, it caused the ambulance to jump a curb and crashed into the helicopter landing pad of the hospital bringing the stolen ambulance to a halt," the fire department said in a statement.

Hospital staff and other first responders descended on the crash and reportedly held the suspect in place until Willoughby police arrived and took him into custody.

Paladino suffered a minor ankle and arm injury in the incident, firefighters said.

Officials said the suspect, who was not injured, was not a patient at the hospital.

“Someone [making] the extremely poor decision to steal a public safety vehicle is putting themselves and everyone around them at risk," Fire Chief Robert Gandee said in a statement. "Thankfully, the quick heroic actions of Firefighter/Paramedic Brian Paladino averted a potentially more disastrous scenario."