LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A man and a woman from Oregon were arrested over the weekend for reportedly impersonating firefighters as they attempted to enter a Palisades Fire evacuation zone in what appeared to be a legitimate fire engine, officials announced Sunday.
In a news release , officials with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said the suspects, identified as 31-year-old Dustin Nehl and 44-year-old Jennifer Nehl, were spotted by LAPD patrol officers on Jan. 18.
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Not believing the fire truck was legitimate, police related the information to sheriff’s deputies, who caught up to the suspects.
LASD said that when they contacted the man and woman, the pair were both dressed in “turnout gear,” which is the protective clothing worn by firefighters responding to a fire, Cal Fire shirts underneath the gear and were also in possession of helmets and radios.
“The occupants claimed to be from the ‘Roaring River Fire Department’ in Oregon,” the release stated. “Upon further investigation, the deputies learned that the department name was not a legitimate agency, and the truck was purchased at an auction.”…