Rhode Island and Massachusetts State Police investigating after Swansea ambulance stolen, recovered

A local ambulance was stolen this weekend but was quickly recovered

On Sunday, an ambulance, specifically Swansea Ambulance 2, was reported stolen from 500 Swansea Mall Drive at Oakwood Senior Estates in Swansea.

A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) was issued by the Massachusetts State Police around 1:00 a.m.

The stolen ambulance was located shortly after in Providence, Rhode Island, where Rhode Island State Police and Providence Police stopped the vehicle near Broadway and Dave Gavitt Way.

A suspect was taken into custody.

According to WJAR10, there was no damage to the ambulance, and the preliminary investigation suggests that an elderly man took the ambulance in a state of confusion.

A social media comment by Swansea Ambulance Corps on the incident stated the following:

“This was an unfortunate event that was resolved quickly with assistance from our mutual aid partners in Somerset plus the RI State Police. The ambulance was recovered with no damage (the elderly “perp” was a retired truck driver and “drove it like he owned it”). After a full inspection it was placed back in service for the remainder of the shift.”

The incident is under investigation.