4/19/26 Bloomington, IL – Man Steals Bloomington Fire Department Ambulance From The Grossinger Motors Arena – Man Just Got Released From Jail – Caught Wearing A Fire Department Safety Vest – Arrested

McLean County prosecutors have charged a man with stealing a Bloomington Fire Department ambulance parked outside Grossinger Motors Arena, close to where he had just been released from jail for retail theft.

Like the retail theft accusation, 34-year-old Dennis Montgomery has been released again because the latest felony burglary and theft charges against him are non-detainable crimes under Illinois’ SAFE-T-Act.

A court document said a public safety surveillance camera in Downtown Bloomington shows someone similar in appearance to Montgomery standing the parked ambulance.

Police said they found the unoccupied ambulance at the nearby DB Plasma Donation Centre on West Washington Street, where Montgomery and about 20 other people had gathered.

Montgomery reportedly told police he was in the back of the ambulance searching for medications, and someone else was driving the vehicle.

Montgomery also stole a neon-colored Bloomington Fire Department vest and struggled with officers trying to arrest him, according to the court document.

Conditions of Montgomery’s release include that he is forbidden from having contact with arena property. He’s been ordered to appear in court May 22.

The McLean County Jail does not release mug shots on weekends.