Keep a close eye on your fire truck: You never know when someone may attempt to drive away in it.

That was the case on Dec. 23, when a crew from the South Salt Lake (Utah) Fire Department was on a medical call just before noon local time. While inside a residence, members of the department heard the air horn sounding on their $500,000 engine. They came outside to discover a homeless man trying to drive it away.

According to the Deseret News, “He first started to drive in reverse and almost hit an ambulance, said South Salt Lake Fire Chief Steve Foote. Then as the man attempted to drive forward, the firefighters jumped into the cab to try to stop him.”

The truck traveled 50 feet before the firefighters were able to stop it. Once the thief was evicted, the struggle continued on the ground until he was subdued and eventually arrested. The fight was rough: The thief ripped a wooden slat off a fence and used it as a weapon.

Apparently the 25-year-old suspect wanted to drive home to Washington state, to see his mother for Christmas. The man was booked on two counts of assault on emergency medical workers, criminal mischief and unauthorized control of a vehicle. South Salt Lake Police told the Deseret News that drugs and/or alcohol were believed to have influenced the man’s decision to steal the fire truck.