Juan Hernandez Charged With Stealing, Crashing City Ambulance While Drunk

A Chicago man was charged Sunday with taking an ambulance for a late night joyride and causing more than $100,000 in damages -- all while inebriated.

Juan Hernandez, 36, of Chicago's Avondale neighborhood, made it more than a mile in the Chicago Fire Department ambulance that he hopped into while it was parked at the Norwegian American Hospital at about 1:40 a.m., according to police. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Hernandez's joyride came to an end when he crashed into four parked cars.

A paramedic inside the ambulance alerted police to the incident, according to the Sun-Times. Hernandez was arrested in the 2500 block of W. Cortland St. before returning to the hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries he sustained. The paramedic was the only other individual occupying the ambulance.

Hernandez faces a laundry list of charges including criminal damage to government property, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, driving under the influence and driving without a license, per the Chicago Tribune's report.