By John Anderson, 10/7/21
A warrant has been issued for a man state police believe stole a Willing Fire Truck during the night in September.
State Police in New York have a warrant on a suspect who is in jail in Pennsylvania on other charges.
An investigator from the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation said, “We haven’t made an arrest but we have a lot of strong evidence against the suspect.”
Just before midnight on Sept. 5, Troopers said a man allegedly went into the Willing Fire Hall which he could gain access to because the building was under construction. Troopers told the Wellsville Sun the man is not a volunteer firefighter and has no connection to the fire department.
Troopers said the man was able to secure the keys and drove the truck into Potter County. In Ulysses, Pa., he drove off the road possibly at a high rate of speed and crashed the truck into a ditch.
During the early morning hours of Sept. 6, Troopers in Pennsylvania caught the man trying to steal a vehicle from a driveway. The suspect is now jailed in the Potter County Jail on several charges for that incident.
Working with the other agencies and the Willing Fire Department, troopers have video surveillance of the incident.
Troopers said the used truck was just purchased by Willing and still had the New Jersey Fire Department logo on it. Troopers said the truck was taken to Buffalo to check for damage and is back in service.
