Alleged fire engine thief identified by Everett police

Published 9:34 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026

EVERETT — A man, already in custody in a King County jail, could face additional charges for allegedly stealing an Everett Fire Department engine and crashing the 35,000-pound vehicle into 12 parked vehicles in July.

Everett Police property crimes detectives referred charges to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office after completing their investigation, according to an Everett Police Department press release.

“Stealing a fire engine is not only unlawful – it puts our community and our first responders at risk,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin in the release. “I’m grateful to our Everett Police Department and partner agencies for their determined work identifying the suspect in this serious incident.”

Around 10 p.m. July 18, 2025, the fire engine’s crew responded to a medical emergency on the fifth floor of an apartment building in the 2900 block of Hoyt Avenue. The fire engine, a 2018 Pierce Enforcer Pumper, was parked nearby and left idle with emergency lights on.

Around an hour later, first responders returned to the street to find the vehicle missing and the wheel chock smashed.

Wheel chocks are cast aluminum blocks that prevent the unit from rolling and can hold vehicles up to 70,000 pounds. While effective, they are not meant to withstand being intentionally run over, according to an Everett Fire Department statement. The fire engine’s keyless ignition system, requiring a sequence of switches and buttons to start and place in gear, makes it difficult for unauthorized individuals to operate.

Upon the crew’s realization that the engine was stolen, Snohomish County 911 received the first call about a hit-and-run in the 1300 block of Hoyt Avenue, reportedly involving a fire engine striking two parked cars at high speed before fleeing the scene. Around a minute later, law enforcement received similar reports from the 1000 block of East Marine View Drive involving a fire engine coming to a stop after “plowing into” six parked vehicles.

Everett police responded to multiple affected locations:

• 2900 Hoyt Avenue: The original theft location.

• 2600 Hoyt Avenue: A collision involving three parked vehicles.

• 1300 Hoyt Avenue: A collision involving two parked vehicles.

• 900 Hoyt Avenue: A collision involving one parked vehicle.

• 500 block of Alverson Boulevard: Damage to landscaping trees.

• Alverson Boulevard and West Marine View Drive: Damage to directional signs, curbing and grass.

• 1000 East Marine View Drive: a collision with six parked vehicles.

Everett Police responded to the 1000 block of West Marine View Drive, where the suspect ditched the fire engine. Officers conducted a K-9 track, but no suspect was found. Nobody was injured. At the time, the stolen engine was one of the newer ones in the fleet.

The stolen fire engine was damaged significantly, the release said. The vehicle was placed out of service and impounded for evidence. A reserve fire apparatus was placed into service.

Detectives identified the suspect using DNA evidence recovered from the stolen fire engine, the release said. The suspect, a man in his 30s, was already in custody at the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in King County, where investigators interviewed him.

“I want to thank our detectives, officers, and partner agencies for their persistence during this investigation,” said Everett Police Chief Robert Goetz in the release. “Their work provided closure to a critical case and reinforced our commitment to accountability and justice.”

Following the interview, law enforcement submitted the case to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office to review charges of one count of theft of motor vehicle, 12 counts of hit and run unattended vehicle and six counts hit and run unattended property, the release said.

“We appreciate the Everett Police Department’s work investigating this incident,” said Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco in the release. “Emergency vehicles are critical, life-saving resources for our community. Taking a fire engine while our firefighters were responding to a medical emergency created a dangerous situation and caused significant damage to the engine and community property. We’re grateful no one was seriously injured and value the strong coordination and partnership with our law enforcement colleagues.”

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan