A Jacksonville man said all of his firefighter training gear was inside his car when it was stolen for the second time in just a few months.
Anel Muratovic wants to join the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. He is just a few months away from finishing a firefighter training program at First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine.
"So close, so close. I finished my EMT last year. That was the easy part," he said. "Fire academy, not so easy. It's really difficult, very strenuous physically."
He said he wanted to spend time with family on Friday, so he spent the night at his mother’s home at Azalea Ridge Apartments.
When he walked outside at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, he said, his red Volvo was missing.
“My fire uniform from fire academy is in there,” he said. “The coat, helmet, trousers, the boots, the Nomex hood.”
Muratovic said he rented the gear for $850 and will have to pay thousands to get a new set.
“I can’t do anything without that uniform. Can’t go into any fires,” he said. “This upcoming Saturday, we have a wild burn, it’s a wild land burn, and I won’t be able to participate in that and it’s mandatory.”
He said the car was recovered nearby a few days after it was stolen from the same apartment complex in January.
He showed Action News Jax the key to the car and said he’s not sure how the thieves got inside.
He said he doesn’t care about getting the car back this time. He just needs the gear.
“Let them throw it out the window for all I care, as long as I get the uniform back,” he said. “If anybody leaves a big red bag somewhere, it says, 'turnout gear' on it.”
Muratovic said he hopes someone finds the bag or recognizes the South of the Border, sugar skull and JAX stickers on the back of the car before his training on Saturday.
Action News Jax contacted the apartment complex manager to find out if there’s surveillance video of the theft.
The manager said he’s still reviewing the footage.
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