Toledo police recover stolen van carrying potentially fatal chemicals

6/25/2014

Toledo police have recovered a stolen van containing potentially fatal chemicals with its dangerous cargo intact, they reported this evening.

Police found the fan, which was stolen from Swanton Tuesday, around 6 p.m. in front of 1132 Halstead Street.

“An inventory of the containers was taken and it appeared that the most dangerous chemicals were still in the van,” a police report said.

The van, a white 1998 Ford E350 had a 14 foot black, homemade trailer attached. Inside was a Polaris all-terrain vehicle. The ATV was found in Toledo, but the van and 50 pounds of hazardous chemicals were missing for about a day, police said.

The chemicals inside the van included Clearigate, Aquathol K, Tribune Herbicide, and Hydrothol. They are typically used for treating ponds.

“They can be dangerous either if they‘‍re ingested or by contact,” Toledo Police Sergeant Joe Heffernan said of the chemicals.

Sgt. Heffernan suggested that the person who stole the van may not have realized there were dangerous chemicals inside. “I think they saw a van with a trailer with an ATV inside,” he said.

Police could not reach the van’‍s owner this evening, so they towed it to the impound lot, where it has been stored apart from other vehicles.