Two people who showed up in a Palisades fire evacuation zone over the weekend in a fire truck claimed to be volunteer firefighters from the Roaring River Fire Department in Oregon —and they were arrested after authorities determined that the department doesn't exist. Police say Dustin Nehl, 31, and his wife, Jennifer Nehl, 44, had helmets and radios and were wearing fire gear with Cal Fire shirts underneath, ABC News reports. They were arrested Saturday on suspicion of impersonating firefighters and unauthorized entry of an evacuation zone.
A law enforcement source tells the Los Angeles Times that a firefighter at a checkpoint noticed that there was "something off" about decals on the full-size fire truck and asked deputies to check the driver's ID. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says deputies determined that the department didn't exist and that the decommissioned fire truck had been bought at an auction. Dustin Nehl "has a criminal history in Oregon for criminal mischief and arson," the sheriff's department said, per CBS News. "Neither have a criminal history in California." In 2017, Dustin Nehl was sentenced to five years in prison for setting a series of fires in Woodburn, Oregon.
It's not clear why they were in the evacuation zone, but tools that could be used by burglars were found in the fire truck, according to the Times' source. The source says Dustin Nehl posed as a firefighter to get a free room at a local Holiday Inn Express. Last week, police said a man impersonating a firefighter had been arrested on suspicion of looting homes in the Palisades area. Prosecutors said Ivan Cedric Reed, 34, was charged with receiving stolen property, impersonating a firefighter, unlawful use of a badge, and unauthorized entry of a closed disaster area, per the Times. (More California wildfires stories.)
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