ROCHESTER, NY – In a shocking incident in Rochester, NY, a man suffering from a medical emergency was forced to leave an ambulance, collapsed on the sidewalk, and subsequently died. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans expressed his disbelief at the tragic turn of events.
The incident, captured in a 12-minute video, occurred on November 30, 2023, and began with the unidentified patient allegedly lunging at paramedics while en route to the hospital. The footage shows emergency medical personnel arguing with the man, who complained about difficulty breathing. Despite his complaints, police insisted that he disembark the ambulance. He was promised another ambulance would pick him up shortly.
After leaving the ambulance as instructed, the man collapsed face-down on the sidewalk, where he remained unattended for more than two minutes. Two weeks later, the patient passed away, an outcome that Mayor Evans attributed to the initial medical emergency the man had called for help to address.
Mayor Evans has called for an investigation into the incident, stating that it raises questions about how such situations are handled and how measures could be taken to prevent a recurrence in the future. “City residents are people and they deserve to be treated humanely and with the same attention as anyone else,” Evans said.
Ambulance provider American Medical Response and Rochester Police Chief David Smith have agreed to launch internal investigations into the matter. No official cause of death for the victim has been released.