Authorities Arrest Suspect After Allegedly Ramming Stolen Ambulance Into DHS Office In Suspected Arson Attempt

An Idaho woman is facing federal charges after authorities say she stole an ambulance and intentionally crashed it into a building housing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offices in an alleged attempt to set it on fire.

Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, of Boise, was arrested Monday following what police described as an intensive, multi-agency investigation. According to a federal criminal complaint, George is accused of stealing a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from outside St. Luke’s Meridian Hospital around 11 p.m. on Feb. 18 while emergency crews were inside transporting a patient.

Investigators say George drove the stolen ambulance to the Portico North building, which houses office space leased by the U.S. General Services Administration for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities allege she deliberately crashed the ambulance through the building’s south entrance at approximately 11:10 p.m., poured gasoline inside the vehicle and across the lobby floor, and then fled on foot as officers arrived on scene.

“The suspect took that ambulance and drove it into the Portico North building, where they had also staged gasoline and poured gasoline inside of the ambulance as well as on the floor, outside of the ambulance, in what we believe was an attempt to burn the building,” Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said.

George has been charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho with malicious destruction of government property by fire and malicious destruction of property used in or affecting interstate commerce. Each charge carries a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

Authorities identified George after what Basterrechea described as five days of “good old-fashioned police work,” including canvassing nearby businesses for surveillance footage and tracking vehicle records.

Court documents detail a series of investigative steps that allegedly linked George to the crime. Surveillance footage shows a dark pickup truck parking near Primary Health roughly 22 minutes before the ambulance was stolen. A person matching George’s description was seen walking toward the hospital shortly before the theft.

Investigators allege George briefly parked the ambulance in a nearby lot minutes after taking it and loaded two gasoline cans and a plastic bag into the vehicle before driving to the federal office building.

The affidavit includes surveillance images from a local Walmart earlier that evening that investigators say show George purchasing two red gasoline cans and lighter fluid at a self-checkout register. A receipt timestamped 9:17 p.m. lists the items, according to court records.

Authorities also cited similarities between a blue Dodge Dakota pickup truck captured on surveillance footage and a vehicle registered to members of George’s family, noting matching paint wear and body features. The affidavit references a Feb. 6 traffic stop in which George was photographed driving a blue Dodge Dakota, further linking her to the vehicle seen leaving the area shortly after the crash.

Dash camera footage from a Meridian police vehicle allegedly captured the suspect crossing Fairview Avenue on foot minutes after the ambulance struck the building. Additional surveillance video later showed the suspect entering a pickup truck and driving away.

Investigators also referenced a social media post allegedly made by George on the morning of Feb. 18 depicting an AI-generated image of the White House on fire with the caption, “If it can be destroyed by truth then it should be destroyed; it was built in lies anyways.”

Meridian police worked alongside the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives during the investigation. Authorities executed both an arrest warrant and a search warrant at George’s residence Monday evening.

“This conduct is unacceptable. It will be investigated, and it will be charged to the fullest extent of the law,” Basterrechea said.

Officials said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges could be filed.

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