MIAMI â Around midnight, a man pulled up just past the driveway of Hector Rodriguez s home in Hialeah, Florida, got out of his van and poured a can of gasoline on Rodriguez s pickup truck, leaving a trail-like fuse of accelerant on the pavement.
At a safe distance, the man then lit the liquid trail. Seconds later flames engulfed the driver s side, hood and engine of Rodriguez s black Chevrolet Silverado.
As the arsonist fled in the van with the help of a getaway driver, Rodriguez heard the Chevy s alarm going off. He rushed outside with a fire extinguisher. His girlfriend grabbed a garden hose. Both tried to put out the blaze while standing behind a chain-link fence. Desperate, Rodriguez opened the gate and sprayed the extinguisher at close range, but it was too late.
Florida officers issued false tickets to drivers they never pulled over, police say tampabay.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tampabay.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.