A suspected carjacker pushed a first responder out of his stolen ambulance early Monday in the Logan section of Philadelphia. GPS was credited with helping to track down one of the suspects.
Jose Santiago, a 32-year-old EMT for Healthfleet Ambulance Services, was doing some work in the back of his running ambulance parked at 12th and Loudon streets just before 3 a.m. His partner was nearby eating food.
Suddenly, the worker felt the ambulance moving, he told Philadelphia Police. An unidentified man jumped inside the ambulance and started driving.
"He was surprised to see me," Santiago said. "We were both very taken aback."
The ambulance then stopped and the suspect behind the wheel let in a second person.
“When (the worker) realized the ambulance was moving he went into the driver compartment and saw two people he didn’t know who were actually stealing the ambulance,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Santiago said the first suspect smelled of alcohol and tried to push him out of the vehicle.
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"He's holding me down at the chair attempting to kind of hold me by my collar, choke me out," Santiago said. "At this point, you know my fight or flight kicked in and I was determined to see my kids."
Santiago and the carjacking suspect in the passenger seat fought for several minutes, driving in about a one mile loop, before the suspect pushed him out of his ambulance at 12th and Rockland streets, investigators said.
Santiago knew that despite losing the struggle for the ambulance, he still had something working in his favor – the vehicle’s GPS. He called both police and his headquarters.
“They began to track the ambulance,” Small said.
Police spotted the ambulance around 11th and Rockland streets and pulled over the emergency vehicle. Santiago identified the driver as one of the suspected carjackers, police said. He recorded on his cellphone as police arrested him.
The 42-year-old carjacking suspect appeared to be highly intoxicated, Small said.
At some point, the passenger who struggled with Santiago hopped out of the vehicle and remains at large.
The motivation for the theft wasn’t clear, investigators said. Nothing appeared to be missing from the ambulance.
Santiago suffered a shoulder injury but knows it could've been worse. The incident was a reminder of just how dangerous an EMT's job can be.
"Why do I do it? So no one else has to do it," Santiago said. "I love serving the community. I love serving people, helping people."
Santiago said none of the suspects appeared to be armed during the incident. If you have any information, please call Philadelphia Police.
