Man who fulfilled dream of becoming paramedic dies in ambulance crash, PA officials say

A 23-year-old who earlier this year fulfilled his dream of becoming a paramedic died after a crash as he was driving an ambulance, Pennsylvania officials say.

Nick Theofilis was operating the ambulance for Penn Hills EMS when he was involved in a multi-vehicle crash around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27, in Pittsburgh.

Officers found Theofilis in cardiac arrest, and he died at a hospital, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

There were no patients in the ambulance, according to WPXI.

A front-seat passenger in the ambulance was taken to a hospital after suffering “head trauma, facial lacerations and a possible concussion,” WPXI reported.

Theofilis worked full-time for White Oak EMS from 2019 to 2022, and recently became a full-time paramedic for Penn Hills EMS, officials said. He continued working part-time for White Oak.

“Probably the most incredibly difficult day of all of our careers,” Paul Falavolito, the chief for White Oak EMS, told KDKA.

‘He cared about everybody’

Falavolito told KDKA that Theofilis was “born to serve.”

“He had the gift of when you met him for the first time, he can make you feel at ease,” the chief said. “He can make you laugh. He can make you smile.”

Theofilis was an EMT in White Oak, and the town was his “second home” even after becoming a paramedic for Penn Hills.

“Upon graduating and fulfilling his dream of becoming a paramedic, Nick was anxious to return to the community of Penn Hills where he grew up to give back and serve his fellow community members,” White Oak EMS said.

Infinity Lodge No. 546 said Theofilis was a volunteer firefighter with the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department in Penn Hills.

He will “forever be a hero,” Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese said in a statement.

Tatyana Lantry, Theofilis’ friend of 10 years, described him as “a really good person.”

“He cared about everybody,” Lantry told WTAE. “That was definitely one person that could bring multiple different people together.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Man who fulfilled dream of becoming paramedic dies in ambulance crash, PA officials say."