IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — A New York woman led state troopers on a lengthy pursuit before plunging a stolen ambulance into the Irondequoit Bay on Sunday. Authorities were able to “fish out” the suspect as well as the stolen EMS vehicle, according to reports.
Vanessa Armstead, 32, reportedly stole the vehicle in Utica about 10:30 a.m. Kunkel Ambulance, which owns and operates the vehicle, immediately reported it stolen, saying the ambulance was taken during a post-shift COVID-19 cleaning, Firehouse.com reported.
“They had the ambulance in the bay completing that cleaning and getting ready to move the ambulance,” Kunkel spokeswoman Amanda Shells Jennings said. “Somebody entered into the ambulance bay when the doors were opened and entered the ambulance.”
The Utica Police Department located Armstead using GPS, and she then led law enforcement officers on a 100-mile chase that lasted into the afternoon, WHAM reported.
Police said Armstead would not comply as they attempted to pull the vehicle over several times.
“For an unknown reason, [she] decides to drive along the thruway. We pursued the vehicle at a reasonable speed,” said NYS Trooper Mark O’Donnell,
As the chase dragged on, police followed the stolen ambulance on I-490 and into the city of Rochester. While details are vague, authorities tracked the vehicle off the Culver Road exit, and were led down Seneca Road when the ambulance crashed into Irondequoit Bay near Newport Yacht Club, according to WHAM.
Police say Armstead was taken into custody immediately, although crews spent more than an hour pulling the ambulance out of the water, including members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s SCUBA team, which helped locate the submerged vehicle.
“She’s not claiming any injuries, but certainly we’re a little concerned why she did what she did,” O’Donnell said.
Sonali Dixit is a member at the Yacht Club. She was shocked that no one was injured since it is usually a busy time in the bay.
“We were really lucky nothing happened. There could have been a boat here. There could have been people here. People are always walking around here,” said Dixit.
David Drushler witnessed the unusual event as he was making a delivery at the yacht club when the ambulance came crashing through a locked gate at the entrance to the marina.
“It was a really horrific sound of that engine revving up. It hit the water with such force and the water went spraying so high. She rolled the window down to come out and was trying to get on top of the ambulance to hold something,” said Drushler, “People on the power boats around were yelling, ‘She’s drowning. She can’t swim.’ That’s when the power boats came down and fished her out.”
Follow-up investigation by the Utica Police Department revealed Armstead had been in a vehicle collision on the NYS Thruway Saturday. As a result, she was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for treatment due to unspecified injuries. She was released a short time later, eventually making her way to Union Station in Utica, WHAM reported.
Not long after she wound up and the Kunkel Ambulance building and took possession of the EMS vehicle. Police have not disclosed a motive, if one is known.
Armstead has been charged with second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, third-degree criminal trespass, and two counts of second-degree criminal mischief, according to the New York State Police. Separately, Utica Police charged her with third-degree burglary and second-degree grand larceny.
