Viral firetruck video with bikini-clad woman at strip club exposes department misconduct: probe
Video of the unidentified woman exiting the firetruck outside a San Jose, California, strip club went viral in October
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A fire department in California's Bay Area has released findings from an investigation conducted after a stripper was spotted hopping out of a firetruck outside a strip club last year in a video that quickly went viral.
The San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) revealed Tuesday that the scantily-clad woman seen exiting a firetruck in October 2022, that they referred to as an "unauthorized female," first hopped into the truck after requesting a ride-along, KRON4 News reported.
SJFD Chief Robert Sapien Jr. said that firefighters had initially denied her request but eventually relented and drove her around the block.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The investigation was launched last year after a video posted on the San Jose Foos Instagram account showed a firetruck with lights flashing stop outside the Pink Poodle Strip Club before a bikini-clad woman jumped out and walked toward the club.
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A bikini-clad woman was spotted exiting a firetruck and walking to a strip club in San Jose, California. (Courtesy of @d_osc_r via Instagram)
"Only in San Jose do you see a stripper come out of a fire truck," the Instagram post said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sapien’s letter said the trip to the Pink Poodle occurred because a truck from Engine 4 had been assigned to take a man from the station to the club where he was employed. KRON4 confirmed that the station never received a service call from the club that night.
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Downtown San Jose, California. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to SJFD, the truck left the station at 9 p.m. and arrived at the Pink Poodle at 9:06 p.m. The unauthorized woman’s ride-along was completed by 9:10 p.m. After that, the truck stopped near a restaurant and bar for two minutes at 9:14 p.m. and was back at the fire station by 9:20 p.m.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The use of a City vehicle to transport unauthorized passengers violated City and Fire Department policies, including the City’s Code of Ethics and Use of City and Personal Vehicles policies as well as the Fire Department’s Ride-Along Program," the department said. "
San Jose Fire Station 4. (Google Maps)
"Additionally, taking the fire engine outside of the area to which it is assigned without being dispatched to a call for service violated City and Department policies, including the Fire Department’s Policies and Procedures for Leaving First-In Response Area."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The video sparked outrage in October and the department received criticism from many in the city, including San Jose’s Democratic Mayor Sam Liccardo, who said that "heads must roll" if the video is as "bad as it looks."
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In terms of what punishment or discipline has been doled out, the city has remained tight-lipped.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The San Jose City Manager’s Office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening that "discipline is a confidential personnel matter."
Sapien recommended in March that the firefighters be disciplined for their actions, which were "highly detrimental to the confidence and trust of our community and workforce," and the city now considers the investigation closed.