Stolen Bayshore Fire and Rescue District brush truck recovered; an arrest made
A brush truck stolen from the Bayshore Fire and Rescue District on Nalle Road Sunday morning has been recovered and an arrest has been made.
Officials credit social media shares and news coverage with the recovery of the truck, which was stolen between 10 and 10:15 a.m. Sunday morning.
“Crews went out for a medical call, and when they came back, they noticed the brush truck was not in the bay,” said Susan Lindenmuth, a Bayshore volunteer firefighter serving as the public information officer. “We made sure nobody had picked up the truck for maintenance, and we realized someone had come and stolen it.”
Bayshore went to work, putting the word out on its Facebook page and alerting other fire districts so they could put it on their social media pages. They also called news stations so they could report the theft and put it on their social media sites as well.
One person reported to a local TV station she had seen the stolen truck headed north on U.S. 41 in North Port. Before long, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies was able to stop the vehicle.
The truck was not damaged and the person who stole it is believed to have acted alone, officials said.
Fire Chief Larry Nisbet went up to Manatee County to retrieve the truck and brought it home around 5 p.m., in need of a bath but otherwise OK.
Nesbit went on Facebook to thank everyone who helped them recover Brush Truck 132.
“If it wasn’t for our media partners, I don’t think we would have found it as easy as we did,” Lindenmuth said.
The Bayshore Fire and Rescue District converted a retired military truck into a brush firefighting truck in 2016, a move that saved the cash-strapped district more than $100,000.