By Laura French
YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a firefighter after responding to several emergency scenes, including a brush fire that he helped extinguish.
Jeremy Matthew Brathuhn, 23, faces charges of impersonating a public servant and improper lights after fire officials reported that a suspicious person had shown up to multiple fire and rescue scenes identifying himself as a first responder, according to the Hanover Evening Sun.
In one instance in July, Brathuhn is reported to have pulled up to the scene of a brush fire in a truck with a flashing blue light, wearing a reflective vest, a hard hat and an unidentified fire department shirt. Police say he told firefighters at the scene that he was a member of the North York Fire Company, and pulled a hose from a brush truck, helping to extinguish the fire.
Charging documents state that Brathuhn’s statements, actions and appearance led firefighters to believe he was authorized to participate in firefighting activities. However, investigators say Brathuhn later admitted that he was not a member of any fire company and that he had learned of the brush fire on Facebook. The chief of the North York Fire Company confirmed with authorities that Brathuhn was not a member of the agency.
Brathuhn is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 29.