A brazen thief stole a 35,000-pound fire engine in Everett, Washington, and turned it into a weapon, smashing into multiple vehicles before abandoning the half-million-dollar piece of critical emergency equipment and vanishing into the night.
At a Glance
- A criminal stole a fire engine valued at over $500,000 while firefighters were responding to an emergency call in Everett, Washington.
- The suspect went on a four-mile rampage, damaging approximately 14 vehicles before fleeing on foot.
- The Everett Fire Department has lost the use of a critical emergency response vehicle indefinitely due to the damage.
- The perpetrator was arrested the following day after an intensive manhunt.
- The fire department has been forced to review its security protocols after this unprecedented and embarrassing breach.
When Public Safety Becomes a Public Menace
This is what happens when basic common sense takes a backseat to bureaucratic procedure. Firefighters in Everett, Washington, left a 2018 Pierce Enforcer Pumper fire engine unattended while responding to a medical emergency on July 18. A criminal saw the opportunity and decided to take taxpayers for the ride of their lives. Within minutes of the theft, 911 calls started flooding in about a fire engine playing demolition derby with parked cars throughout the neighborhood. Fire Chief Dave DeMarco can talk all he wants about reviewing policies, but the damage is done. At least 14 law-abiding citizens had their vehicles damaged by a piece of equipment that should have been protecting them, not terrorizing them.
Authorities are searching for the suspect accused of stealing a 35,000-pound fire engine in Everett, Washington, and going on a rampage, crashing into more than a dozen parked vehicles before abandoning the emergency rig and fleeing on foot. https://t.co/Cf0aAT7dLs
— ABC News (@ABC) July 20, 2025
The Real Cost of Negligent Security
Police Chief John DeRousse emphasized the risk to public safety, but where was that concern when a half-million-dollar fire engine was left sitting unattended? This 35,000-pound weapon was essentially gift-wrapped for any criminal with enough audacity to take it. The financial impact extends far beyond the damaged fire engine. Vehicle owners now face insurance claims and repairs, and property damage includes landscaping and street signage. Taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill for both the damaged equipment and any resulting liability claims. This is government accountability at its finest—leave expensive equipment unguarded, then ask the public to pay for the consequences.
A Systemic Failure of Judgment
While the Everett Police Department is to be commended for its swift work in arresting the 44-year-old transient suspect the next day, the reactive approach misses the point. The real problem is the systemic failure that allowed this to happen in the first place. Emergency vehicles should have basic, fail-safe security measures, especially when crews leave them during calls. This isn’t rocket science; it’s elementary risk management. Chief DeMarco expressed gratitude that no one was injured, but that’s cold comfort to the property owners whose vehicles were damaged. The community trusted these public servants to protect critical assets, and instead, they created a public menace through sheer negligence.
