Woman charged with stealing SAFD ambulance from downtown hospital

Ashley Moreno, 28, charged with theft of vehicle

Ashley Moreno, 28, was charged Tuesday afternoon with theft of vehicle, records show. (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was taken into custody Tuesday morning after investigators said she stole an ambulance from a downtown hospital and then ditched it nearby.

Ashley Moreno, 28, was arrested just before noon in the 500 block of W. Russell Place.

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She was charged Tuesday afternoon with theft of vehicle, records show.

Moreno jumped into the San Antonio Fire Department ambulance, while it was parked and running outside the emergency room of Methodist Hospital Metropolitan, in the 1300 block of McCullough Avenue, according to preliminary information released by the San Antonio Police Department.

Moreno then ditched the emergency vehicle near Ashby and Lewis and was detained by fire personnel at a station nearby, according to SAPD.

No one was injured, but the ambulance and a pole at the hospital were slightly damaged, according to an SAFD statement released Tuesday afternoon.

The full statement from the SAFD spokesman reads:

“Earlier today, while SAFD paramedics were transferring patient care to hospital staff, an unknown individual stole an SAFD ambulance. After traveling a short distance, the individual stopped the ambulance and left the scene. Shortly thereafter the individual approached an SAFD fire station and was held there until SAPD arrived and apprehended the individual without incident. There were no injuries associated with this event and damage was limited to very minor damage to the ambulance as well as to a pole at the hospital. The details of how this individual was able to access the ambulance and drive away are currently under investigation.”

Investigators have not said if Moreno was a patient at the hospital or why she was at the facility. The suspect’s booking photo was released Wednesday morning.

A Methodist Healthcare spokeswoman said the hospital would not be commenting at this time.

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About the Author:

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.