LAPORTE, Ind. --
The fire truck thieves didn't intend to make a silent getaway, activating the trucks' lights and sirens early Monday.
Authorities were hard-pressed to give reasons for such daring acts but think the teens were living out a fantasy.
Police arrested a 17-year-old LaPorte boy who was wearing firefighter gear from the hat down to the boots.
"I don't have any first-hand knowledge of anyone ever taking a fire truck," said retired firefighter Greg Smith, now the Center Township trustee.
About 1:30 a.m. Monday, LaPorte County sheriff's Deputy Steve Pearce was on routine patrol.
He saw a pumper truck and rescue truck racing from the Center Township fire station on Johnson Road, headed east toward LaPorte.
Each vehicle had the red lights flashing and sirens blaring, so Pearce called 911, inquiring about a fire.
He was surprised to learn that no such call existed, so he began searching the area.
Quickly, Pearce said, he spotted the pumper truck at Pine Lake Cemetery in LaPorte and began following the vehicle, which veered off a road and sank in the soft ground.
The driver took off on foot but stopped after a few hundred feet because of the heavy gear.
He is being held at the LaPorte County Juvenile Services Center on charges of burglary and vehicle theft, police said.
According to police, the rescue truck was abandoned when it was located at the cemetery.
Police said a window at the fire station was broken and entry was gained by standing on a fuel tank to crawl through the opening.
LaPorte County Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer said it appears there's just one other suspect.
Smith said fire trucks are not started like regular motor vehicles.
There's an ignition switch to activate before pushing the start button while letting off the brake.
Investigators are exploring if the suspects are related to any firefighters.
"It would appear they have some fundamental knowledge of fire-truck operations," Smith said.
Both trucks were back in service and suffered little, if any, damage, Smith said.
