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Ambulance Thief Charged in Murder of NYC EMT

By George Khoury, Esq. on March 17, 2017 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Tragedy struck in the early evening hours on Thursday in NYC as a local EMT, Yadira Arroyo, was murdered with her own ambulance. As if the situation could not be any sadder, the fallen EMT was a mother of five and had served the public for nearly a decade and a half.

The suspect is being charged with three counts of murder, grand larceny, as well as operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs. According to one source, the suspect has been arrested over 30 times over the past 13 years for crimes including assault, robbery, trespassing, and lewdness. Despite what appears to be clear evidence of guilt, the suspect asserted his innocence while being walked out of the police station, in cuffs, for transport.

Details of the Incident

While Arroyo, who was driving, and her partner were responding to a call in their ambulance, a bystander alerted the pair of EMTs that a person was standing/riding on the ambulance's back bumper. Arroyo and her partner exited the ambulance to discover the rather unbelievable claim was actually true. During their attempt to get the bumper-rider off the ambulance and get him to leave, the man ran around Arroyo and jumped into the ambulance's open door and tried to drive away.

Arroyo grabbed hold of the ambulance to try to stop the suspect, but he then put the ambulance in reverse and backed over Arroyo, then drove forward, dragging her into the middle of the road. Arroyo's partner rushed to her aid, but the injuries were too severe, and Arroyo succumbed to them. During the ordeal, the suspect was unable to maintain control of the ambulance and crashed into several other vehicles.

After trying to speed away from the scene, the suspect crashed into two parked cars while making a left turn, then attempted to flee on foot. Luckily, another officer happened to be at the crash scene, and was able to apprehend the suspect with the help of bystanders.

Given the severity of the charges, the sheer senselessness, and his criminal history, the suspect could be looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars.

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