Fire trucks were parked near a checkpoint as emergency crews examined debris from the Palisades fire Saturday morning.
A law enforcement source with knowledge of the incident told The Times that the driver told National Guard troops guarding the perimeter that he was a volunteer firefighter.
The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity, said they had no reason not to believe it. The man was wearing a yellow firefighter uniform and driving a full-size red fire truck, complete with emergency lights, California license plates and an American flag.
But the official said a firefighter at the checkpoint noticed something was wrong with the sticker on the truck, which read “Roaring River Fire Department.” He told the Los Angeles County Sheriff to check the man’s ID.
The man produced an Oregon driver’s license and his name was Dustin Nehl, according to law enforcement officials. The official said an investigation into Neal’s criminal record revealed he had served five years in prison for arson.
Portland TV station KATU reported that Neal pleaded guilty in 2017 to a series of fires at golf courses, parks and water facilities in Woodburn, Oregon, a city about 30 miles south of Portland.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said Sunday that Neal, 31, and his wife, Jennifer Neal, 44, were arrested on suspicion of impersonating firefighters and entering an evacuation zone without authorization. Sheriff’s officials said they plan to ask the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to file charges against the couple on Tuesday.
Dustin Neal is not the first person accused of impersonating an emergency worker to enter an evacuation zone. Last week, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonald said his officers caught a burglary suspect dressed as a firefighter in the Palisades Fire District.
Police found Ivan Cedric Reed, 34, on Clifftop Way in Malibu on Tuesday night wearing a yellow firefighter’s uniform and carrying a radio. Prosecutors announced Reed was charged with receiving stolen property. , impersonating a firefighter, illegal use of badges and unauthorized entry into a closed disaster area.
“We have people who are willing to go out of their way to do what they do,” McDonald said.
Neal has not been charged with stealing from unoccupied homes in the Pacific Palisade area, but sources familiar with his arrest said deputies found tools in his fire truck that might have been used by thieves. They also seized a map showing the burn area and radios tuned to frequencies used by city and county fire departments, the official said.
The truck, originally used by the Northern California Fire Department, was decommissioned and auctioned about 30 years ago, sources said.
It was unclear how long Neal had been in Los Angeles, but the official said he received free accommodation at a local Holiday Inn Express in his capacity as a firefighter.
