Firefighter Arrested for Making False Calls to 911

MANSFIELD – A 19-year-old Mansfield firefighter has been arrested on charges he made bogus calls to the Tioga County 911 Center.

State Police allege Joshua D. Forrest made two separate false reports to the 911 Center, once in June and another in October of this year.

In the first call, Forrest is accused of falsely reporting a motorcycle accident in the Mill Cove area of Mill Creek, Tioga Township. That report resulted in responses from Mansfield Hose Co., Mansfield Ambulance, Medic One, LifeNet 7-7 medical helicopter, State Police, Wellsboro Fire, The Army Corp. of Engineers and Tioga Fire Dept. Crews conducted aerial and ground searches for two days and one night, but never found a victim.

In the next incident, Forrest is accused of reporting a fire on Connelly Mountain Road in Sullivan Township, that never existed.

Police say members of Mansfield Hose Co. conducted an investigation with the Tioga Call Center and subsequently recognized the voice of one their own firefighters – the accused.

As a result, Forrest has been charged with 2 counts of False Alarms to Agencies of Public Safety(M1), and 12 counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person(M2).

Charges were filed in Judge James Carlson’s office in Mansfield, PA.