Woman Steals Ambulance and Attempts to Set Fire to DHS Building

A stolen ambulance. Two gas cans. A federal building in the crosshairs.

Federal prosecutors say a 43-year-old Idaho woman tried to turn a Department of Homeland Security office into an inferno.

Sarah Elizabeth George of Boise is now facing serious federal charges after investigators allege she stole an ambulance and rammed it into a building that houses DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Meridian.

If convicted, she could spend up to 20 years behind bars.

According to a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, the incident unfolded late on February 18.

Around 11 p.m., authorities say George stole a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance that had been parked outside St. Luke’s Meridian while a crew transported a patient inside.

Minutes later, prosecutors allege she drove the emergency vehicle straight through the south entrance of the Portico North building — a facility that leases space to DHS through the U.S. General Services Administration.

But it didn’t stop there.

Investigators say she poured gasoline inside the lobby and inside the ambulance itself in what police describe as an attempted arson attack.

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

She then allegedly fled on foot as officers rushed to the scene.

Authorities say the attack was not random — and not spontaneous.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators reportedly shows George earlier that evening purchasing two red gasoline cans and lighter fluid at a Walmart in Meridian. A receipt timestamped 9:17 p.m. lists the items.

Video from a nearby Fred Meyer gas station allegedly shows her filling those cans with gasoline shortly before the crash. Court documents state a loyalty card used at the pump was registered in her name.

Investigators also tracked a blue Dodge Dakota pickup truck seen near the hospital before the ambulance was taken and later spotted leaving the area after the crash. The vehicle allegedly matches one registered to George’s family.

Dashcam footage from a Meridian police cruiser reportedly captured a suspect crossing Fairview Avenue on foot minutes after the ambulance smashed into the building. Surveillance cameras later show the individual entering a pickup truck and driving away.

Police say it took five days to piece it all together.

“This was good old-fashioned police work,” Basterrechea said, describing the effort to canvas businesses, review footage, and track vehicle records.

The complaint also references a social media post allegedly made by George the morning of February 18.

The post reportedly showed an AI-generated image of the White House engulfed in flames, accompanied by the caption: “If it can be destroyed by truth then it should be destroyed; it was built in lies anyways.”

Federal investigators included a screenshot of the post in the charging documents.

While prosecutors have not publicly detailed a motive, the post is expected to play a role in the government’s case.

George has been charged with malicious destruction of government property by fire and malicious destruction of property used in or affecting interstate commerce.

Each charge carries a potential sentence of five to 20 years in prison.

Federal authorities, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, assisted Meridian police in the investigation. Law enforcement executed both an arrest warrant and a search warrant at George’s residence days after the crash.

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

The investigation remains ongoing. Officials have not ruled out additional charges.

For now, a late-night ambulance theft has become a high-profile federal case — and a stark reminder of growing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and federal facilities across the country.

George has not yet entered a plea.