New York EMT Charged With Stealing From Patient

A Fire Department EMT assigned to Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx has been arrested and charged with stealing 600 dollars in cash from a patient during a sting operation.

The city's Department of Investigation initiated the sting after several other patients had come forward saying 28-year-old Joseph Alimena of Mamaroneck had stolen money from them.

Investigators say two undercover agents posing as a man in distress and a livery cab driver flagged Alimena's ambulance down. While the agent was being treated he dropped 600 dollars in marked bills on the ground, which authorities say Alimena picked up and pocketed.

Later, at the end of Alimena's tour, police pulled him over and asked for his license and registration. As he pulled them out of the glove compartment, police say they spotted the marked bills.