Youngstown, Ohio — Bob Marchionda was in the middle of his Labor Day Sunday… when he saw something he had never seen before.
He had family and friends over to his house on Sheridan Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio.
“Just sitting here having a cookout, and we see the ambulance come by, a few cruisers, thought they were going to an accident. Then the ambulance pulled through a neighbor’s front yard, came through and parked right in my driveway,” Marchionida said.
There was no medical emergency at Marchionda’s house. It turns out a man had stolen the ambulance from a gas station in Liberty that was left unlocked with the key inside.
“Sometimes when vehicles are left unattended, it’s a crime of opportunity. So we see this, where people take it for a short distance, a joy ride.”
Unfortunately for the ambulance thief, the ambulance had a GPS tracker. State highway patrol and local police followed it down interstate 680, off Midlothian Boulevard, then around the corner to the cookout.
The suspect will face charges for driving the stolen ambulance and leading police on a long chase. What we still don’t know? Why he finally stopped at this cookout.
Marchionda said he doesn’t know the suspect at all, “There was one open spot. He parked right there. That was it.”
Diaz Jr. is being held without bond at the Mahoning County Jail.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.