When you go to work, you never expect one of your own colleagues to treat you poorly, take advantage of you, or even go to such lengths to steal something from you. Unfortunately for two fire stations in Toronto, that is not the case.
For fire fighters, their fire hall is their second home. They eat, sleep, workout, hangout, and enjoy time with their squad while at work away from their families. As anyone would do, just like if you were to go on a trip, you bring certain things with you: your phone, tablet, jewelry, timepieces, etc. and you never expect things like that to go missing – especially when working in a very secure building like a fire hall.
Unfortunately for two fire halls in Toronto, this was not the case. Stations 123 and 132 have become victims of break-and-enter and theft, getting items such as phones, watches, jewelry, credit cards and tablets, by one of their very own.
Yesterday January 12, 2017 The Toronto Star updated a report from back in August that Toronto Firefighter Joshua Pittarelli-Bucks, had been charged with breaking into a fire station on August 22, 2016. He placed numerous fake calls stating that there was a fire, waited for everyone to leave, then broke in and proceeded to steal their belongings.
Back in August, court documents state Josh was charged with three counts of break-and-enter, false alarm of fire, public mischief and possession of crack cocaine.
It is alleged that he broke in to two fire halls, on three occasions. On one occasion, the district chief returned earlier than the others and caught the person in the act of leaving the station. The two stations that Joshua targeted are Station 123 (Bond Ave and Don Mills), which he broke into twice in July 14 and August 21, and Station 132 (Bathurst and Lawrence Ave) on August 22, a day after Station 123. His last assigned station was Station 245 at Ellesmere and Birchmount.
Conditions of his bail state that he is to reside with a surety, attend a residential treatment centre, and to not attend any fire hall in Toronto.
However, this is not his first run in with the law in 2016. A month prior to the fire hall break ins, he was arrested following a confrontation – driving at a high rate of speed in a residential neighbourhood in Markham. He is also facing charges of assault and uttering threats in Newmarket and is scheduled to appear in court on March 7th, 2017.
The City is awaiting the outcome of court proceedings before they take further action. However, fire fighters who are members of the union can potentially charge him with theft, but no one has done so. They say are letting the Canadian legal system deal with it.
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