Drunk man steals ambulance, falls asleep at the wheel 400m away

Nov 13, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing an ambulance from a hospital in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture.

The self-proclaimed company employee from Koshigaya is suspected of stealing the vehicle, worth about 21 million yen, from a hospital parking lot in the city early Sunday morning.

Emergency responders who had transported a patient to the hospital returned to the parking lot to find the ambulance missing and immediately reported it to police at around 1.30 a.m.

Police officers searching the area later found the vehicle 400 meters from the hospital parked on a road with the man in the driver's seat.

The apprehended suspect, who was found with alcohol levels above the legal limit, has denied the allegations during interrogation, claiming, "There's no mistake I was in the driver's seat, but I don't remember driving or stealing it."

Police are investigating his actions and motives prior to the alleged crime.

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