Authorities this week charged Mark Moalem, a San Jose fire captain and Gilroy resident, with crimes related to the theft of narcotic painkillers and sedatives from the San Jose Fire Department.
Moalem, 45, allegedly stole controlled medications, including morphine, that are typically used by paramedics to treat the ill or injured in emergencies, says a press release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
The types of medications he allegedly stole are kept secured inside fire engines, and Moalem allegedly tampered with and took vials of the controlled substances from one or more of the lockboxes, the DAs office said.
in Department 23 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. If convicted, he will face time in prison.
“The community puts their lives in the hands of first responders during emergencies,” DA Jeff Rosen said. “There is no excuse for violating the trust and safety of Santa Clara County residents.”
On April 14, San Jose firefighters reported a vial of morphine looked like it had been tampered with at Station 4 off Leigh Avenue, authorities said. A paramedic further reported that morphine from another fire station was given to a patient that same day, but the medication had no effect on the patient.
Furthermore, an audit of all 34 fire stations found that vials of morphine and midazolam—a benzodiazepine—had been tampered with at 17 fire stations throughout San Jose, authorities said. In some incidents, the drugs had apparently been removed from the vials and replaced with another substance.
Investigators also found that a box containing narcotics vials was missing from a fire truck, the DAs office said.
The San Jose Police Department investigated, and used a license plate reader system to track Moalem’s vehicle in the area of the fire station during the period the box of narcotics was stolen, the DAs office continued. The driver in the images matched Moalem’s description.
Moalem was previously arrested in 2013 for possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of an opiate, authorities said. He was employed with SJFD at the time.
The DAs office added that Moalem was a suspect in a 2023 incident in which a bottle of morphine was stolen from a fire station.
On April 8, 2025, Moalem was seen at SJFD Station 29—which he was not assigned to—standing between two fire trucks near where a box of narcotics was stored, the DAs office added. Moalem was off duty at the time of this sighting.
A search warrant for Moalem’s home in Gilroy produced a large quantity of needles, six SJFD vial caps for morphine, four SJFD vials of midazolam, four SJFD vial caps for Midaxolam and four bags of IV saline solution, authorities said. Three of the IV bags appeared to have been used.
Moalem is a 22-year veteran of SJFD. He is currently on leave.
Moalem was arraigned May 19 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, on charges related to the theft of narcotics. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence.
