Video: Patient Attacks FDNY Ambulance after Jumping Out
By Thomas Tracy
Source New York Daily News
An unhinged patient popped out of an FDNY ambulance while he was being taken to a Bronx hospital, only to try to force his way back in, a startling video shows.
The EMS crew found the man unconscious on a Bronx street about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, an FDNY spokesman said.
They revived the man and were taking him for treatment when he suddenly bolted from the back of the ambulance near the corner of Williamsbridge Rd. and Pelham Parkway in Pelham Gardens, the spokesman said.
A few moments later, the man is caught on video running back to the ambulance. He bangs on a side door, and reaches in through a small window to unlock it and get into the cab, the footage, posted on Twitter shows.
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Once the door is open, the ponytailed patient starts screaming incoherently as he jumps into the ambulance. The emergency medical technician, who was in the back, can be seen hopping out and hightailing it down the street.
An FDNY spokesman said that the man “violently tried to re-enter through the side door.”
After a few seconds, the EMT runs back to the ambulance’s cabin as the former patient screams “Call the cops!” and opens the door again before wandering off.
“Thankfully, neither member was injured and they were able to remove themselves from the situation,” the FDNY spokesman said, adding that the crew called police.
An onlooker helps the EMTs shut both doors before the ambulance continues on in traffic, the video shows.
All the while, an impatient motorist behind the ambulance is flicking his highbeams, signaling the vehicle to move.
Anthony Almojera, vice president of the FDNY’s EMS Officers Union, posted the video on Twitter as an example of the dangers city EMTs and paramedics face every day.
FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo was killed on March 16, 2017, when a crazed man stole her ambulance and mowed her down in the Bronx.
“Tell me again @NYCMayor how FDNY EMS does not deserve the same pay and benefits as the other 911 agencies?” Almojera asked. “Correct this now!”
EMS unions are at the bargaining table with City Hall trying to get a wage increase that would be comparable to firefighters, police and sanitation workers.
The starting salary for an EMT is $35,254 and can go up to $50,000 in five years. A firefighter member with five years on the job can make more than $100,000 annually with overtime and holiday pay.
In March, EMS marked 25 years after its merger with FDNY.
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