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By Kevin Deutsch

A woman stole a private ambulance in Tamarac Friday with a worker still inside before crashing the vehicle in a hit-and-run wreck in Tamarac and later causing a second crash in Sunrise, authorities said.

The employee of the ambulance company, who was inside the ambulance at the time of the theft, was able to safely exit the vehicle at some point, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, Ciara McGriff, 25, is believed to have exited the moving ambulance before the vehicle struck a tree in Sunrise, according to BSO. She was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries.

McGriff was charged with grand theft auto, false imprisonment and leaving the scene of accident with property damage, authorities said.

Deputies learned of the ordeal around 1:13 p.m. when Broward County Regional Communications received a call about the stolen private ambulance at University Drive and McNab Road in Tamarac.

BSO Tamarac District deputies responded and began trying to locate the ambulance, which caused a hit-and-run crash at Pine Island Road and McNab Road in Tamarac, deputies said.

No injuries were reported in that crash.

A short time later, the stolen ambulance was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Sunrise in the 4000 block of Hiatus Road, authorities said. Sometime after the collision, McGriff allegedly bailed out, and the ambulance struck a tree.

The BSO investigation of the incidents is active and ongoing, deputies said Friday afternoon.

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Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.