Cops spotted a fire truck that didn’t seem right in an evacuation zone. The drivers were impersonating firefighters.
You’ve probably heard about people impersonating police officers or doctors, but what about firefighters? A couple in Los Angeles was busted with a fake fire truck that they used to enter evacuation zones.
Couple pretends to be firefighters with fake fire truck in Los Angeles
31-year-old Dustin Nehl and 44-year-old Jennifer Nehl were both arrested for impersonating firefighters to enter an evacuation zone.
A Los Angeles police department patrol unit was investigating the Palisades Fire area with fire personnel when they spotted a fire truck that seemed a little off. It didn’t look legitimate.
The officers reported the incident to deputies and the individuals in the fake fire truck tried to enter an evacuation zone.
They pulled the truck over. As they approached, they noticed that the suspects were wearing turnout gear. Turnout gearrefers to the protective garments that are worn by fire personnel.
Plus, they had CAL-Fire T-shirts, helmets, emergency lights, California liscense plates, an American flag, and radios to help them look the part.
According to Fox News, the couple said they were from the “Roaring River Fire Department” in Oregon. But that department doesn’t actually exist. Also, the fire engine was decommissioned by a Northern California fire department and purchased at an auction.
Prior to the arrest, the couple admitted that they had been entering evacuation zones. There is no evidence to suggest that the couple was looting abandoned homes. However, they had equipment that could easily be used by burglars.
They acquired a map of the burn areas and used radios tuned to the frequencies used by the city and county fire departments. Now the fake fire truck is sitting in an impound lot.
This couple isn’t the first to impersonate firefighters in the Palisades fire zone. Other burglary suspects have been arrested while dressed up as fire personnel.
