John Lambrechts, 31, of Wonder Lake, (inset) was arrested for impersonating a firefighter after allegedly entering the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Station 1, located at 4300 East Wonder Lake Road, Monday morning. | Background Photo: Google Street View

A 31-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly entered a fire station in Wonder Lake and impersonated the fire chief by transmitting over the fire department radios, police said.

John Lambrechts, 31, of the 3700 block of East Wonder Lake Road in Wonder Lake, was charged with one count of impersonating a firefighter, a Class 4 felony.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Creighton said Lambrechts parked his personal vehicle inside an emergency vehicle bay at the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Station 1, 4300 East Wonder Lake Road in Wonder Lake.

Lambrechts allegedly entered the fire station around 9:45 a.m. Monday.

Once inside, he removed a radio from a charging station and transmitted over the radio while falsely identifying himself as the fire chief, Creighton said.

According to a criminal complaint, Lambrechts said over the radio, “There will be no transporting children and young adults to psych wards from Wonder Lake, this is Chief Weber.”

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Lambrechts was arrested less than an hour after the incident at his residence in Wonder Lake.

Lambrechts remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $5,000 bond. He would need to post $500 cash in order to be released.

Lambrechts is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to set a date for a preliminary hearing.