FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Hannah Denys, Public Information Representative, Office of the Fire Chief
408-601-9860;
hannah.denys@sanjoseca.gov
San José Fire Chief Addresses Arrest of Fire Department Captain
SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 17, 2025) – On Monday, April 14, I was notified that during inspection and restock of Fire Station medications, containers of controlled substances were found to be damaged and suspected to have been tampered with at a fire station.
Upon notification, staff were directed to request law enforcement response to the fire station and to initiate an inspection of the entire Department inventory of controlled substances (which include the controlled substances in question).
In the ensuing hours and with public safety and operational readiness as my primary concerns, the Department cooperated fully with the San José Police Department’s investigation, notified the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the County Emergency Medical Services Agency, and expedited inspection of the controlled substance inventory Department-wide, removing any inventory that had even the slightest indication of possible damage or tampering.
San José Police Department has made an arrest of Fire Captain Mark Moalem. He is not currently working and was last onsite on Tuesday, April 15. We are looking into whether further actions are necessary in relation to patient care and will be swift to address any potentially impacted patients.
Fire Captain Mark Moalem has been employed by the San José Fire Department since July 7, 2002. In 2013, Captain Moalem was the subject of drug related charges and subsequently received a deferred judgement. Upon successfully meeting court requirements under the deferred judgement, Captain Moalem was subject to formal disciplinary action by the City and was required to submit to random drug testing over several years. Additionally, the California Emergency Medical Services Agency investigated this matter, which resulted in paramedic license revocation. The action to revoke the paramedic license was stayed pursuant to completion of several conditions during a five-year probation.
I, along with the entire San José Fire Department, am beyond disappointed in the actions and crimes alleged thus far as they are antithetical to the mission and values of the department. The San José Fire Department will continue to be fully cooperative with the Police Department’s investigation through the conclusion of the investigation.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
About the San José Fire Department
The San José Fire Department (SJFD) is a full-service, all-hazard metropolitan fire department that provides service to and protects a population of over 1 million residents within the approximately 208 square miles of the nation’s 13th largest city. The protection area includes residential, commercial, high-rise, industrial, five major hospitals (including two trauma centers and five emergency departments), the SAP Center (home to the NHL’s San José Sharks), PayPal Park (home of the MLS’ San José Earthquakes), San José State University, San José Mineta International Airport, three super-regional malls, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and wildland-urban interface areas. Learn more about SJFD at www.sjfd.org.
###
68℉