Man arrested after setting ambulance on fire outside Hamilton hospital: police

A Hamilton Police vehicle is seen on Friday, May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

Hamilton police say a suspect who allegedly set an ambulance on fire in front of a local hospital early Sunday morning is now in police custody.

According to police, paramedics arrived at Hamilton General Hospital at around 6 a.m. and offloaded a patient.

When they returned to the ambulance, police said, they discovered that it was engulfed in flames.

“First responders arrived, and an investigation was initiated. Using CCTV camera footage and eye-witness accounts, it was learned that a lone suspect had tossed an accelerant into the ambulance and departed on foot,” police said in a news release issued on Monday.

Officers located a suspect, a 31-year-old man of no fixed address, at a bus stop nearby.

He was arrested and charged with arson, disregard for human life, and failing to comply with a probation order.