Michael J. Greenfield, 67, of Hammond, is accused of stealing a Superior Ambulance from the ambulance bay at Community Hospital in Munster before leading police on a slow-speed pursuit through Dyer and into St. John late Tuesday night.
Police said the incident began at approximately 11:38 p.m. on July 14, 2026, when officers were dispatched to Community Hospital regarding a reported auto theft.
According to investigators, an emergency medical technician with Superior Ambulance had parked a fully marked 2012 Ford Econoline ambulance in the hospital’s ambulance bay while transporting a patient. Court documents state the ambulance was left running, unlocked, and with the keys inside while the EMT entered the hospital for only a few minutes.
When the EMT returned to the ambulance bay, the vehicle was gone. Hospital security was immediately notified.
According to court records, a hospital security officer told police he had observed Greenfield as a patient who had been discharged just minutes before the theft. Security personnel reviewed surveillance footage from the hospital’s interior and exterior camera system and believed the recently discharged patient was the same individual seen taking the ambulance.
Investigators allege the surveillance video showed a man leaving the emergency room entrance, walking toward the ambulance bay, pausing briefly beside the driver’s door of the ambulance, entering the vehicle, and driving away.
Superior Ambulance employees were able to monitor the ambulance’s movements using its onboard GPS tracking system. According to court documents, the vehicle was tracked traveling southbound on Hart Street before continuing toward Dyer.
Dyer police officers located the ambulance traveling eastbound on 81st Avenue and attempted to stop the vehicle by activating their emergency lights and siren near Patterson Street. Investigators allege the driver refused to stop, instead continuing southbound on Patterson Street at slow speeds.
According to court documents, officers successfully deployed stop sticks at the intersection of Patterson Street and Wildwood Drive. Investigators allege the ambulance continued southbound despite the stop sticks.
Police said the pursuit ended only after officers from the St. John Police Department assisted Dyer officers by boxing in the ambulance near the intersection of Patterson Street and Oakwood Drive. The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was taken into custody without further incident and was later identified as Greenfield.
According to court records, the responding Munster officer met with a Superior Ambulance supervisor following the arrest. The supervisor told investigators Greenfield was not employed by Superior Ambulance, was not known to the company, and had never been given permission or authorization to possess or operate the ambulance. The company valued the ambulance at approximately $125,000 and requested criminal charges.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges Filed July 16, 2026:
Level 5 Felony: Theft (Property Valued Over $50,000)
Level 6 Felony: Auto Theft
Level 6 Felony: Resisting Law Enforcement Using a Vehicle
