N.J. Ambulance Crew Caught Ignoring Emergency While Live-Streaming Video At White Castle

A New Jersey ambulance crew was caught on camera ignoring an emergency call because the ambulance driver, while waiting for food at White Castle, was live-streaming while on duty, according to reports.

James Hovan and his partner were working late Thursday night, and Hovan was using Periscope to live-stream video while driving around Newark and then getting food at White Castle, according to News12. Both were placed on administrative leave without pay.

If you have a News12 subscription, you should be able see the video from an EMS crew that works for University Hospital in Newark by clicking here.

Hovan and his partner decided to take a dinner break at White Castle when a a call is heard on the radio. Hovan is heard saying “Oh no they didn’t!” and continues to wait for his food, according to the report.

A few moments later, one of the viewers posts a comment asking why they weren’t responding to the call. “I ordered my food before the [expletive] call came in,” Hovan says on the News12 video. “What do you think, I just throw it up in the air and run off? No!”

They eventually responded to a second call about a person having trouble breathing, but only after they had received their dinner, which included an order of mozzarella sticks for Hovan, according to NJ Advance Media. As they drive, Hovan and his partner are heard mocking the condition of the patient.

"University Hospital is deeply concerned about this matter. The individuals involved have been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending an investigation," Hospital spokeswoman Stacie Newton told NJ Advance Media.

News 12 New Jersey attempted to reach out to Hovan through social media, but did not get a response, and by Friday evening, all of Hovan’s social media accounts were deleted.