A thief made off with the Oakland Fire Department’s “Jaws of Life” tool after firefighters rescued a girl at a local park on Aug. 23.
City and fire officials are releasing few details of the theft as authorities investigate the incident.
Fire crews were responding to a rescue call for a young girl at about 7:15 p.m. at Marston Campbell Park, requiring the use of the life-saving tool used to pry open cars and other metal structures.
“The rescue came out OK,” Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt told The Epoch Times.
But later, the crew discovered the equipment had been taken.
The fire department provided police investigators with details of the crime and the make and model of the tool, in hopes of recovering it, Hunt said.
The 50-pound tool can cost about $13,000.
Luckily, the department has other Jaws-of-Life tools that have air tags attached so they can be easily located, according to Hunt.
“While frustrating, this will not impede emergency responses for other incidents that will require this device,” he said.
Police are encouraging the public to call 510-238-3728 if they have information that can help them locate the tool.
Wang held a campaign kickoff event held at Clinton Square Park on International Boulevard in Oakland.
Videos of her staff pleading with the woman to return the bag surfaced on social media.
Wang told local news stations that staffers called homeless outreach to try to calm the woman, but the service was not available.
Her staff also tried to call police, but were told 150 people were ahead of them and police could not respond, Wang said.
On Aug. 27, police still had not responded to Wang, she told The Epoch Times.
“The complete lack of response we saw from both mental health and police services was unacceptable,” Wang said.
