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NAPLES, Fla. - For an unknown reason, a Collier County ambulance waited five minutes before leaving the station after being dispatched to an emergency call 3.5 miles away, a Fox 4 investigation has learned.

The victim, Chaz Minard, 25, was in cardiac arrest when his parents called 911 on Dec. 14. Minard died a week later at the hospital.

For the past 12 days, Fox 4 has been trying to get answers for the family.

Collier County EMS Chief Walter Kopka said their investigation into why the ambulance was delayed would be available Jan. 25. But we don't know if that report is even done because Kopka won't return any of our phone calls.

So Fox 4 put in a public records request for information related to the call.

We discovered a missing five minute gap when the ambulance crew at Medic Station 42 in Collier County was notified of the 911 and when they actually left.
 
Paramdedics are supposed to leave within two minutes, Kopka told us last month, and doctors say minutes matter in life or death emergencies.

Timeline

11:03 AM: Minard family calls 911 after finding their 25-year-old son Chaz in cardiac arrest. The family says Chaz was breathing.

11:04 AM: An ambulance 3.5 miles away is dispatched at the same time as fire engine 71.
 
11:09 or 11:10 AM: Ambulance leaves Medic Station #42. Records conflcit on the exact time. This leaves a critical 5-6 minute gap when crews never leave the station wasting precious time.

11:12 AM: Fire engine 71 and sheriff deputies arrive at Minard home
 
11:15 or 11:16 AM: Paramedics arrive at the home and find Chaz unconcious and without a pulse.

11:33 AM: Chaz is stretechered into the ambulance. Paramedics regain his pulse.

11:38 AM: Chaz arrives at hospital.

So, it took an ambulance crew 3.5 miles away 12-13 minutes to get to the Minard's home, after wasting five minutes.

The family believes the wait time - 30 minutes in all - could have cost their son his life.
 
While EMS officials are not returning our phone calls they did return Minard's Monday. They offered to set up a meeting with the family and the medical examiner to talk about their investigation in two weeks.

Minard requested Fox 4 attend that meeting. He was told we weren't welcome.

Note: This story has been updated to reflect the time the fire engine arrived at the Minard's home

Matt Grant
mgrant@fox4now.com