Man Arrested Posing As Fireman — Again

Man arrested on similar charges in April

A man posing as a firefighter, wearing a stolen fireman's uniform, was arrested in Irving on Sunday just four months after he was arrested on similar charges in Plano.

Trrance King, 21, was arrested Sunday at an Irving hospital after he claimed to be a Denton firefighter, according to a law enforcement source. King was wearing a stolen Denton fireman’s shirt and carrying a stolen portable two-way radio.

Firefighters in Denton believe he stole the items when they allowed him to tag along with a fire crew one day last week after he told them he was a paramedic, said Denton Battalion Chief Brian Glenn.

The man said his name was Jayden Smith, Glenn said.

"He sounded like someone interested in a career with the fire service,” Glenn said.

But firefighters grew suspicious of his credentials and later learned his name wasn’t Jayden Smith and he was no paramedic.

"It didn't sink in until later that Jayden Smith is Will Smith's son, so he didn't even make up a good name,” Glenn said. “He just stole it."

King is the same man arrested in Plano in April, claiming to be a Dallas firefighter.

A search for Trrance King on Facebook turns up 5 different pages -- several with photos of him dressed as a fireman.

In one photo, he was sitting on the front of a fire truck in Cedar Hill, dressed in full gear, holding a young boy.

In March, he claimed he got a medal for saving a 5-month-old girl from a burning car.

He also said he worked as a neonatal intensive care paramedic at Children's Medical Center and studied at Southwestern Medical School. According to his Facebook post, he started when he would have been just 16 years old.

"He was just looking for a chance to live a life that he dreamed of but didn't set his life on a course to achieve,” Glenn said.

In Denton, firefighters stressed King only observed and did not do any actual work.

The department is now reviewing its ride-along policy and may do more background checks.

NBC 5's Ray Villeda contributed to this report.

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