Police: thief targets Morrow firefighter

MORROW, Ga. - Police are searching for a thief they said stole the truck of a firefighter while the first responder was on duty at the local fire station. 

The ordeal happened around 4:40 a.m. July 1 at Fire Station 1 off Morrow Road. Police said the man was seen on surveillance entering into and out of the 2013 Dodge Ram before driving off with it. 

Police told FOX 5, the firefighter chose to leave the car unlocked and clean of any valuables, as his vehicle had been previously targeted by smash-and-grab car thieves who break windows to gain entry.

This is not the first time firefighters in the city have been targeted. In March 2017, police said a different thief stole a vehicle from the same fire station; officers tracked the vehicle down 24 hours later and made an arrest. 

In spring of that same year, the city allowed firefighters to bring their unloaded weapons out of their vehicles and into the facilities after smash-and-grab thieves targeted their cars parked outside fire stations. 

Police said they had increased lighting and surveillance since that string of crimes, and obtained a clear picture of the suspect in the latest crime. 

"It's a little bit of slap in the face, a spit in the wound, to have somebody come steal one of our hardworking firefighters' truck," Chief James Callaway told FOX 5.  

The man is described as 18 to 22 years of age, slender build and 5'08" to 5'10". Anyone with information on the suspect and the stolen vehicle is asked to contact Detective M. Murphy of Morrow Police at 770-961-4006, and at mmurphy@cityofmorrow.com.