San Diego Fire Engine Stolen, Recovered After 60-Mile Chase

A San Diego Fire-Rescue engine (Engine 30) was stolen from a parking lot near Palm Avenue and 16th Street in south San Diego/Nestor at about 4:30–4:35 p.m. Saturday after firefighters briefly left it unattended. Multiple agencies including the San Diego Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Chula Vista Police and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office tracked the vehicle north on Interstate 5 and deputies located the truck parked in the 1600 block of Loch Ness Drive in Fallbrook about 5:10 p.m., roughly 60 miles away. Authorities arrested an unidentified suspect, reported no injuries, and said the engine was not damaged. The California Highway Patrol is assisting with a thorough, ongoing investigation, and officials have not yet released further details on how the fire engine was taken or the suspect’s identity.