Authorities said on Saturday that two individuals from Oregon were apprehended for pretending to be firefighters during the Palisades Fire.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office has announced that on Saturday, they intercepted a man and woman who were wearing firefighter gear and driving a fake fire truck as they tried to enter an evacuation zone near the Palisades Fire.
Dustin Nehl, 31, and Jennifer Nehl, 44, have been apprehended by the sheriff’s office after being accused of posing as firefighters and trespassing into the fire zone. The couple was taken into custody at Malibu’s Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on Saturday afternoon and is facing multiple felony charges, although the specific charges have not been disclosed according to jail records.
Sheriff’s deputies said that when they confronted the pair, they allegedly claimed to be from the “Roaring River Fire Department” in Oregon, a department that does not actually exist. It was observed that they were wearing Cal Fire T-shirts underneath their full firefighting gear, and they were also carrying helmets and radios.
Investigators have stated that the duo confessed to entering the fire zone the day before.
Dozens of individuals have been apprehended in the vicinity of the Palisades Fire on charges ranging from violating curfew to impersonating officials, looting, and engaging in acts of vandalism. Notably, there have been instances where two individuals were apprehended for masquerading as firefighters in order to gain access to the fire zone.