al emergency on Jan. 22 at approximately 7:25 p.m. at an apartment complex on Columbus Street and Nelson Street.

Within seconds, the crew had their gear ready and went to the scene.

Fire engineer Marlon Ward drove the fire engine while Captain Tim Ortiz sat near him in the front captain’s seat. Firefighter Ryan Parker sat in the back, preparing to take action upon arrival.

A man who lives out of town had not heard from his elderly father in three days. This prompted a visit to his father, who would not answer the door. Neighbors claimed to not have seen his father in four days and that his car had not moved from its parking space in approximately a week.

Ortiz asked neighbors to confirm this information before ordering firefighter Ryan Parker and fire engineer Marlon Ward to forcefully open the door.

“Oh, he’s right there,” said Ward when the door was opened. The elderly man was sitting on the couch, unresponsive to what had occurred.

He was asked various questions, such as when was the last time he ate and whether or not he recognized his son.

According to Ortiz, the man was incoherent. Paramedics who had arrived to the scene with Fire Station 8 brought the elderly man down the stairs on a stretcher. He continued to appear not fully aware of what had happened.

“That was better than we expected. We were sure this would be a DOA [dead on arrival] situation,” Ortiz said.

According to Ward, there was blood in the toilet of the apartment, as well as on the elderly man’s pants and the couch on which he was sitting.

Law enforcement arrived to the scene at approximately 7:40 p.m. accompanied by a woman who claimed to know the elderly man.

The woman, Laura Pelatos, said, “He was our neighbor, we used to live in the apartment right below his. I really hope he’s going to be OK.”

Pelatos said strange things have been happening at this particular apartment complex within the last year. She told The Rip that another elderly man passed away under strange circumstances.

“When a loved one hasn’t heard from a family member of that age, it’s usually because unfortunately, that person has passed,” said Capt. Ortiz.

The elderly man was taken to the hospital after the ordeal. Upon arrival back to Fire Station 8, Ortiz filed a report.

[Photos by Joe Bergman]