Authorities Confirm Man Who Jumped on Ambulance Had Taken Bath Salts

Tulsa First Responders spent three hours trying to get an intoxicated man off the top of an ambulance.

They said the man was high on bath salts and had just been released from the hospital. Crews say the man was energetic and thought people were trying to kill him. Instead of forcing him down, they decided to let the drugs wear off in order to keep everyone safe.

"They smoke it. It just messes their brain up where they can't think straight. most times they are paranoid,” says Captain Toby Houck with the Tulsa Fire Department

A viewer's cell phone video shows the man pacing back and forth on top of a Creek County ambulance at a gas station.

Tulsa Police say EMSA had taken the man to the hospital earlier in the day because he was high on bath salts. They say he was released, walked to a gas station and climbed on top of the ambulance while the EMS workers were there getting gas.

"He's just pacing back and forth. Not harming himself. Not harming anybody. But he is up there but doesn't want to come down,” says Houck.

Crews say the man was agitated, sweating and convinced someone was trying to kill him. "He was saying the mafia was out to kill him, most of the night. We reassured him that's why we were there up close to him so no one could shoot him. You know they would have to shoot us. And calmed his fears down till we got him convinced that no one was going to kill him,” says Houck.

Captain Houck says nobody on scene wanted to make matters worse, so they stayed calm and listened. He says they surrounded him to keep him from falling and then talked to him.

"Practice patience. Talk to them and try to calm them down. Ultimately, we decide that if he is on something, eventually he's going to slowly come off it and we can wait it out. Just be patient,” says Houck.

Crews were able to get him down safely and take him back to the hospital. Police say they only crimes he could be accused of are public intoxication and possible malicious mischief.