OAKLAND, California. – A 10-year-old girl who was stuck on a swing in an Oakland park was rescued by firefighters using rescue shears. But shortly thereafter, a thief stole the life-saving hydraulic tool.

Charles Welch told KTVU that around 7 p.m. Friday, his granddaughter decided to swing on a swing at the park on the corner of 16th and West Streets in West Oakland.

“She got stuck in it, actually she was too big to be in it anyway,” Welch said.

The Oakland Fire Department had to use rescue shears because the girl was stuck with all her legs and bottom.

“My granddaughter got stuck in the seat. And they had to come here. And when I got here, they had cut off the seats and all that stuff,” he said.

The manager of a nearby market told KTVU the girl was scared.

“First they tried to cut it, but it was too tight, the girl was screaming, she wasn’t feeling well. Then they had to dismantle the whole swing,” he said.

The girl was rescued from the swing. And she will be fine.

But later, the firefighters discovered that their tools, worth about $15,000, were missing.

“Probably some homeless person came here, took it and thought he could make some money with it,” Welch said.

The rescue shears weigh about 55 pounds. It’s not the lightest thing in the world, but someone could have easily picked it up and walked away with it.

The device belongs to the firefighters of Station 1, just a few blocks from the park.

“These tools are primarily used to rescue people and vehicle occupants after car accidents,” said Michael Hunt, a fire department spokesman.

The market’s surveillance cameras recorded the use of a turntable ladder vehicle on the way to the park, but not the theft.

“This is crazy. How can they steal something like that?” said the store manager. “You know, firefighters come to save the girl and steal this? This is crazy, you know?”

Henry Lee is a crime reporter for KTVU. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan