An off-duty FDNY EMT who told police that he had been robbed on Christmas Day apparently made up the entire story.
On Wednesday, Steven Sampson was charged with making a false written statement and filing a false report. An NYPD spokesperson said that Sampson’s story had changed multiple times in the retelling, and when he was confronted about the inconsistencies, Sampson recanted his story entirely.
According to Sampson’s original story, he had pulled over early Christmas morning to rearrange the gifts in his car when he was confronted by a group of men. Sampson claimed that he fought back against his attackers. He said that he was stabbed in the arm before the men ran off with $2,500 worth of Christmas gifts, including drones, gift cards and other items.
“‘Hey cracker, we’re going to take your (expletive).’ Basically, that’s what they said,” Sampson said in an interview with CBS New York as he showed off the stitches in his arm that he claimed were the result of his battle with the four men.
Sampson’s wife, Michell, said on Wednesday that she still believed her husband’s story.
“There’s no false report. My husband was stabbed and he was robbed,” she said. “He was not charged with anything.”
