An Oregon couple wearing fake firefighter gear and driving a fire truck they purchased at an auction was arrested and charged after authorities stopped them from sneaking into a Palisades Fire evacuation zone.
Dustin Nehl, 31, and Jennifer Nehl, 44, were charged with impersonating firefighters during the Los Angeles County wildfires, county District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a news release Friday. It’s not clear if either has obtained an attorney.
The couple was detained on Jan. 18 after a police patrol unit driving through the Palisades Fire area with fire personnel came upon a “fire truck that did not appear to be legitimate,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Deputies stopped the fire truck as it attempted to enter an evacuation zone. The Nehls both had radios with them and were wearing firefighter gear including Cal Fire T-shirts and a helmet, the sheriff’s department said.
The couple allegedly said they were from the Roaring River Fire Department in Oregon, which is not a legitimate agency. Authorities learned that the truck they were in had been purchased at an auction. The truck was later impounded.
According to the sheriff’s department, the couple said they had been in the evacuation zone on Jan. 17, a day before their arrest.
