David Chang

Volunteer Firefighter Recovering After Being Stabbed by Teen in Backyard

Police say they’ve identified persons of interest in the stabbing, all juveniles.

As a lieutenant with Plymouth ambulance and a volunteer firefighter with several fire companies, Zac Santiago is used to receiving life-saving calls. On Thursday however, Santiago himself made a call to save a very important life. His own.

“I need an ambulance,” Santiago told the dispatcher. “I’ve just been stabbed.”

Santiago, 30, first noticed a group of teens in the back of his Norristown home Thursday afternoon and believed they were using drugs.

“He suspected that they were back there getting high and he had asked them to leave the property,” said Santiago’s father, Benjamin Santiago. “The second person came out and stepped towards him and then stepped aside and the third person came out and stabbed him in the stomach.”

Even after Norristown Police and the Plymouth ambulance arrived at the scene, Santiago continued to give updates about where his attackers fled. Santiago was eventually flown to Jefferson University Hospital where he underwent two successful surgeries for his injuries. He’s currently recovering and doing well. On Monday he called his father and told him he was being moved from ICU.

Police say they’ve identified persons of interest in the stabbing, all juveniles. No arrests have been made however.

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