Police are asking for help searching for two people suspected of stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona on Sunday morning.
The owner of a nearby business, Carlos Chavez, said he watched as the two suspects pulled up outside a corner bar on 2nd Street in a white pickup truck around 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Chavez shared security footage with KTLA of what happened next – showing what appears to be two men using a crowbar and a sledgehammer to complete the theft.
The business owner said he watched in real time through his security cameras as the two suspects, for about 25 minutes, struggled to wiggle the bolts before snapping off the fire hydrant.
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Two suspects are caught on security cameras stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez) -
Two suspects are caught on security cameras stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez) -
Two suspects are caught on security cameras stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez) -
Two suspects are caught on security cameras stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez) -
Two suspects are caught on security cameras stealing a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez) -
This photo shows what remained after two suspects stole a fire hydrant in Pomona. February 2025. (Carlos Chavez)
“It’s frustrating,” Chavez told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell. “The fire department needs their equipment, and for common thieves to come around and just take their equipment is ridiculous.”
Chavez called the Pomona Police Department to report the crime when he realized what was happening, but he said officers arrived five minutes after the suspects fled.
“It is frustrating for our department, and this is something that’s not only happening in the city of Pomona, but it is also happening in surrounding cities as well,” said Pomona PD spokesperson Aly Mejia.
Some reports say this incident is part of a recent trend across south Los Angeles and surrounding communities, where thieves leave holes in the ground and haul off hydrants to sell them as scrap metal.
More than 60 were reported stolen in Pomona in the past four months.
Police said the thieves sell the hydrants for about $100, but it can cost municipalities up to $5,000 to replace a single hydrant.
Police are studying this security video and investigating the incident, but so far, no arrests.
