Rockland, N.J.-- An off-duty FDNY firefighter swiped a fire truck from a local firehouse and drove it to a strip mall fire in Closter, N.J., -- apparently in a drunken attempt to respond to the blaze.
Eyewitness News has learned the fire burned through a spa in the Closter Commons, a strip mall on Piermont Road, just after 11:45 p.m.
When he heard of the blaze, the off-duty suspect rushed to the the Rockleigh Fire Station in Rockleigh, N.J. and swiped a fire truck.
Police say 33-year-old Raymond Oprey, of Palisades, N.Y., then drove the fire truck to respond to the Closter blaze.
Apparently when he arrived, Oprey was clearly intoxicated and refused a breathalizer test. He was charged with driving under the influence.
Oprey was arraigned this morning in municipal court and posted $25,000 bail.
The suspect has been a member of the FDNY for the past three years. He is assigned to Ladder 50 in the Bronx. The FDNY would only say the matter is under investigation.
Copyright 2006 WABC-TV.
Republished with permission of WABC-TV.
