INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A man who's been pranking 911 dispatchers for months may not be laughing for long. Police say the phone calls have endangered the lives of firefighters and the public.
Arson investigators and metro police have teamed up to try and find the guy. They don't know who he is. They only know his voice because he has repeatedly called 911 to report a fake fire.
On a 911 recording the man can be heard saying, "My house is on fire and my son is in there and my baby is in there. They cannot get out and I can't get back in. It's a single. The whole front of my house is on fire."
The call was one of at least four made by the same man. Investigators said he's been pulling variations on the illegal prank for months. His most recent call was made last week.
"The house is so close that the fire is coming out and the house next door is so close that it's melting the siding on the house next door," said the man.
Investigators said the man tells firefighters to come to North Baltimore Street most of the time to fight the fake fires. In each case, none of the addresses he gave existed.
"We put ourselves at risk. We put the citizens at risk and it ends up being some cheap thrill for someone with too much time on their hands," said Indianapolis Fire Department Captain Rita Reith.
Investigators said the fake calls can delay their response to a real emergency. And they're worried the prankster may take it a step further.
"Who's to say it may not lead to him starting fires. Maybe it'll escalate to something to something else," said IMPD Lieutenant Jeff Duhamell.
Investigators said the man typically makes the fake calls between 8 and 10 a.m. They believe he's responsible for dozens of false fire reports.
Anyone with any information regarding the case should call Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS.
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