Background: Police body camera footage shows the suspect in the theft of an ambulance emerging from the vehicle (Wisconsin Rapids Police Department/WISN/YouTube). Inset: Benjamin Feltz (Wood County Jail).
A man in central Wisconsin is accused of stealing an ambulance with an ailing patient inside and then leading police on a dangerous chase.
Benjamin Feltz, 37, has been charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, threatening to cause bodily harm to certain individuals involved with a court or legal system, taking and driving a vehicle without consent, and fleeing or eluding an officer as a vehicle operator — all felonies. The defendant also faces six misdemeanor charges, Wood County court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
On Tuesday night, Wisconsin Rapids paramedics had loaded a patient onto an ambulance when suddenly a man jumped into the driver”s seat and sped off, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Milwaukee-based ABC affiliate WISN. “What are you doing?” they yelled. They also commanded the driver to “Get out!” and “Stop,” to no avail.
The patient herself was reportedly incensed, saying she was scared for her life and screamed at the driver, “I’m dying from kidney disease.”
Body camera footage shared by the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department and the regional outlet shows the ambulance swerving around spikes meant to deflate its tires, driving through a landfill, and onto a highway. Officers can also be seen sharing details with one another, such as “Dude is naked. And it looks like he has brown long hair and a beard.”
Finally, the ambulance swerves off the highway and gets stuck in a field, according to authorities. Officers approach, demanding the suspect — later identified as Feltz — shut off the vehicle and “come out with your hands up.” He ultimately did exit the van, and authorities were able to check on the status of the patient in the back.
The patient was taken to a nearby hospital and Feltz was arrested. However, he allegedly did not stop his threatening behavior once in police custody.
“It’s time for you to feel my pain,” he told an officer, according to the complaint, as well as “Yes, I’m threatening you,” and “It’s your turn to die.”
He told police he drank roughly half a bottle of chemical cleaner that day and that there may have been “pot” in his system, WISN reported.
Feltz had an initial appearance in court scheduled for Friday afternoon.
