UTICA — A Buffalo woman who stole an ambulance in Utica and crashed it into Irondequoit Bay was sentenced in Oneida County Court this week.

Vanessa Armstead, 33, of Buffalo, was sentenced by Judge Robert L. Bauer on Monday to three to nine years on one count of second-degree grand larceny, court officials said.

Utica police said Armstead stole an ambulance from an open garage bay door at Kunkel Ambulance on Catherine Street shortly after 10 a.m. June 13, 2021. Law enforcement agencies in the area pinged the GPS on the ambulance and gave chase on the Thruway heading west.

State police and other agencies kept track of Armstead and eventually found her in the Rochester area. Authorities said she drove the ambulance off Seneca Road into Irondequoit Bay, roughly 130 miles from Utica.

Armstead climbed out of the sinking ambulance and swam to a nearby vessel, where she was fished out of the water and was taken into custody, authorities stated.