John
02-11-2010, 05:29 PM
A US man has been arrested - after he stole an ambulance with a patient and paramedics still inside it.
Nicholas Pontillo, 24, of Lake Villa, Illinois, took the vehicle for a joyride while drunk, according to police.
The ambulance had been parked outside the Tyrol Bason skiing and snowboarding area near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, reports WKOW TV.
Pontillo alledgedly slipped into the cab while paramedics were treating a teenage skiier with an injured knee in the back.
However, he didn't get very far - the vehicle's emergency brake was on so he ended up driving it around the car park, before eventually being arrested by sheriff's deputies.
Dane County emergency management specialist Carrie Meier said the theft attempt may have been thwarted because the paramedics had followed procedure.
"They had the emergency brake on. That's one thing we always do for safety reasons," she said.
Tyrol Basin general manager Don McKay added: "It is a big deal when someone takes control of an emergency vehicle."
Pontillo has been charged with vehicle theft and may also face a charge of drink driving.
Nicholas Pontillo, 24, of Lake Villa, Illinois, took the vehicle for a joyride while drunk, according to police.
The ambulance had been parked outside the Tyrol Bason skiing and snowboarding area near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, reports WKOW TV.
Pontillo alledgedly slipped into the cab while paramedics were treating a teenage skiier with an injured knee in the back.
However, he didn't get very far - the vehicle's emergency brake was on so he ended up driving it around the car park, before eventually being arrested by sheriff's deputies.
Dane County emergency management specialist Carrie Meier said the theft attempt may have been thwarted because the paramedics had followed procedure.
"They had the emergency brake on. That's one thing we always do for safety reasons," she said.
Tyrol Basin general manager Don McKay added: "It is a big deal when someone takes control of an emergency vehicle."
Pontillo has been charged with vehicle theft and may also face a charge of drink driving.