A fake fire extinguisher from an LA fire once set a fire in Oregon, authorities said

A fire truck arrived at a checkpoint Saturday morning near where emergency crews were sifting through debris from the Palisades fire.

The driver told the National Guard that he was a volunteer firefighter, a source with knowledge of the incident told The Times.

They had little reason to believe otherwise, said the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named. The man was wearing a yellow fireman’s uniform – and was driving a red fire engine complete with emergency lights, California license plates and an American flag.

But a firefighter at the checkpoint noticed something about the pictures of the truck, which had signs from the “Roaring Fire Department,” the official said. He told Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to look up the man’s ID.

According to law enforcement officials, the man provided an Oregon driver’s license in the name of Dustin Nehl. An investigation into Nehl’s criminal history revealed that he had served five years in prison for arson, the official said.

In 2017, KATU, a Portland television station, reported that Nehl pleaded guilty to setting a series of fires at a golf course, park and aquatic center in Woodburn, Ore., a town about 30 miles south of Portland.

Nehl, 31, and his wife, Jennifer Nehl, 44, who were with him – were arrested on suspicion of impersonating firefighters and trespassing at an exit, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said Sunday. Sheriff’s officials said they plan to ask the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to charge the couple on Tuesday.

Officials said those arrested on Saturday were wearing fire extinguishers.

(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

Dustin Nehl is not the first to be accused of impersonating emergency workers to gain access to an exit. Last week, Los Angeles Police Chief, Jim McDonnell, said his officers arrested a suspect who broke into a Palisades fire station dressed as a firefighter.

Ivan Cedric Reed, 34, was wearing a yellow firefighter’s uniform and carrying a radio when police found him on Clifftop Way in Malibu Tuesday night, prosecutors said in announcing that Reed was charged with receiving stolen property, impersonating a firefighter, and unlawful use of a firearm. badge and unauthorized entry of a closed disaster area.

“We have people who will go to all lengths to do what they do,” McDonnell said.

None of the Nehls have been charged with stealing from vacant homes in the Pacific Palisades area, but a source with knowledge of his arrest said deputies found tools in a fire truck that could have been used by burglars. They also seized a map showing the burned areas and radios linked by waves used by the city and district fire brigade, said the official.

The truck, which was used by firefighters in Northern California, was decommissioned 30 years ago and sold at auction, the source said.

It’s not clear how long Nehl had been in Los Angeles, but the officer said he introduced himself as a firefighter in order to get a free stay at the Holiday Inn Express.