Police are investigating after a man stole a fire department vehicle and several tools from a firehouse in Windsor, Conn., started a small fire in the garage, then used the stolen fire vehicle to try and stop several drivers on Interstate 91 in Massachusetts, according to police.
Windsor police officers responded to the Hayden Station Firehouse at 54 Basswood Road around 3:39 a.m. on Saturday to investigate the burglary.
They said they found that someone broke a television, took several tools from a fire truck and stole a Windsor Fire Department Ford Expedition from the garage bay.
Before leaving, the person also turned on the gas stove and started a small fire in the garage, according to police.
A short time later, Massachusetts State Police received several 911 calls reporting that a man in a marked Windsor, CT Fire Department vehicle was conducting suspicious motor vehicle stops on Interstate 91 North in Northampton and Whatley.
The man turned on the emergency lights and interacted with vehicles during each stop but did not properly identify himself, according to Massachusetts State Police.
The Massachusetts law enforcement agency then issued a call for law enforcement in the area to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
A short time later, a Mass. state trooper saw the vehicle on I- 91 in Deerfield and stopped it, but the driver fled after stopping briefly and led police on a pursuit, Mass. State Police said.
Troopers and Deerfield, Mass. police used stop sticks to stop the SUV and it stopped near the Deerfield weigh station.
Massachusetts State Police took the driver, a 46-year-old Windsor man, into custody around 5 a.m., and learned about the alleged connection to the burglary and fire at the fire station in Windsor, CT.
Massachusetts State Police said the suspect will face charges in Massachusetts, including receiving stolen property, impersonating a police office, failure to stop for police, negligent operation and improper use of emergency lights.
While Massachusetts State Police identified the suspect, Windsor Police have not publicly identified him.
They said detectives are interviewing the man and he could face charges in Windsor, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Windsor fire apparatus are all online and functioning and fire emergency response was not compromised, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Windsor Police Department at (860) 688-5273.