Alleged ambulance thief arraigned; Eyewitness recounts crash

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — NEWS10 is hearing from an eyewitness to the crash of a stolen ambulance in Schenectady on Saturday. The incident left one man injured and another in jail.

“And as we looked over we saw the car slide into the telephone pole right into the telephone pole and the ambulance flipped just over to the left," Alexander Smith remembered.

It happened Saturday night on Eastern Avenue and McClellan Street. Smith, a cook at the nearby Horses Lounge says he saw it all. 

“I walked right across the street to that Luke Oil right over there. Ran in to go get my normal stuff, and when I came out to go get into my friend's car we heard the crash" Smith recalled.

State police say 25-year-old Adam Cole was behind behind the wheel of the overturned ambulance.

“I initially thought that somebody hit the ambulance running the light, and I was really worried for the EMTs, until I realized there was a whole car in front of me, and we didn't find out till later in the night that the ambulance was stolen," said Smith.

Cole was no EMS worker but an alleged thief who reportedly stole the ambulance in Cobleskill, dropped off its patient at a local gas station, and then led police on a chase to Schenectady, which ended with Cole reportedly crashing into another driver who remains in the hospital. 

“I ran over to the car that unfortunately hit the telephone pole right behind me to check to see if anyone was in there were to see if anyone was okay. When I saw the gentleman was unconscious I ended up flagging down one of the police officers that was checking out the ambulance and then right after that we stuck around for a few minutes and headed out once they blocked everything off” Smith recounted.

The alleged ambulance bandit faces a litany of charges: Operating a vehicle while impaired by drugs, criminal possession of stolen property, assault, and reckless endangerment

“That was one of the last things I wanted to see after working 10 hours," said Smith.

Cole was remanded without bail and is being held at the Schenectady County Jail. He’s due back in Schenectady City Court, on Friday afternoon. Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallory says Cole will also be extradited to her county for an additional arraignment on pending charges including attempted theft of another vehicle. Cole will then be sent back to Schenectady County custody.