State investigating AMR after employees order man out of ambulance on Rochester street

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A state investigation is underway into a Rochester ambulance company after employees ordered a patient out of an ambulance on a city street.

The man died in the hospital weeks later. His cause of death and identity have not been made public.

AMR says the New York State Department of Health Bureau of EMS and Trauma Systems has begun interviewing staffers involved in the call.

AMR responded on Nov. 30, 2023 after a man called because he was having trouble breathing.

Here’s the timeline Rochester Mayor Malik Evans provided during a press conference:

• The patient seeks medical help.
• AMR responds and begins to transport him.
• The ambulance pulls over on Seneca Avenue.
• Rochester Police are called by the ambulance to “address some type of situation.”
• The man exits the ambulance.
• He sits on a bench, falls off, and collapses on the ground “for two minutes” with no one helping him until someone notices.

AMR says the state’s investigation could take up to three months. Meanwhile, AMR has started its own internal review. The City of Rochester is also investigating. It contracts with AMR.

The AMR employees involved are on administrative leave.

Additionally, the United Christian Leadership Ministry has called for the firing of both the AMR medics and Rochester Police officers who were there when the man was ordered out of the ambulance.