Las Vegas police are asking for the public’s help after a decommissioned ambulance quietly disappeared from the Spring Valley area in the early morning hours of July 12. The vehicle, a Ford F-350 that previously carried Optum Medicine markings, was reported stolen near Sahara Avenue and Jones Boulevard, in the 2800 block of El Camino Road, at about 4:25 a.m. Metro says the rig was out of service, had no license plate, and that the theft remains an active investigation.
According to FOX5, LVMPD’s Spring Valley Area Command believes the ambulance was taken around 4:25 a.m., and officers have been canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses and surveillance footage. The department told FOX5 the unit was already retired from medical service and had no license plate when it was taken. Anyone with information is urged to call LVMPD Spring Valley Area Command/Patrol Investigations at 702-828-2639 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Why police are concerned
A stolen ambulance is not just another missing truck. It can be used to pose as legitimate medical crews, to move around without drawing suspicion, or to spark a dangerous chase on city streets, all while temporarily taking an emergency vehicle out of the system. EMS leaders and local outlets have warned that thefts like this can escalate quickly into larger public-safety problems.
One headline-grabbing case earlier this year involved a stolen ambulance that was driven into an office building in Meridian, Idaho, which officials described as a planned and violent act. As reported by East Idaho News, paramedics there emphasized that the theft also removed a crucial unit from service.
Similar thefts have cropped up nationwide
Recent industry reporting and local coverage show that stolen ambulances have become an unfortunate trend in multiple states this year, from Maine to Texas, often ending only after police step in and after the vehicles spend time off the street. Trade outlet EMS1 tracks such incidents around the country, and the Houston Chronicle detailed a January case in which a stolen ambulance was eventually found in southeast Houston…