N.Y. Man Arrested for Vandalizing FDNY Ambulances

New York Daily News

Fire marshals busted a man for vandalizing six ambulances outside an EMT station in the Bronx in a fit of rage, officials said, with the victim saying he was mad he didn’t have money for drugs or alcohol.

Karim Murdoch, 22, allegedly took a weapon to the windows of six ambulances outside Station 15 on White Plains Road near E. 229th St. in Wakefield sometime between midnight and 8:30 a.m. Friday, cops said. The windows were left smashed and Murdoch bizarrely scrawled religious symbols like the Star of David on the doors, according to authorities.

“Vandalizing and damaging our ambulances shows disrespect to the dedicated men and women of FDNY EMS, and the public they bravely serve. This quick arrest is the result of outstanding investigative work by our Fire Marshals,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement.

Fire marshals who had spotted Murdoch’s crazed spree on CCTV identified him walking around the area Saturday and took him in for questioning, officials said. He was later charged with two counts of criminal mischief.

Murdoch allegedly told marshals he was mad "because he had no money for drugs or alcohol,” sources said.

“We don’t think he was mad at the Fire Department for any reason, he was just mad at the world,” a law enforcement source told the Daily News.

The ambulances, which respond to emergencies in Wakefield and Williamsbridge, were removed from service for repairs.