When the cops arrived there, they saw a maroon 1996 Buick burning
People go to great lengths to ensure the safety of their possessions, but a man in US' Bloomington did something unthinkable. In a bizarre incident, a 26-year-old identified as Austin Bristoe set his own car on fire to discourage people from stealing from it, Fox 59 reported.
The incident came to light on the night of February 12, when cops received reports of a suspicious person standing next to a car and yelling about someone stealing from him. When the cops arrived there, they saw a maroon 1996 Buick burning. Within a few minutes, the car was fully engulfed, and emitting small explosions.
As the man watched the car burn, he told police, "I hoped the explosions would be bigger." He even told an officer that the vehicle was his and he set it on fire to stop people from stealing items inside of it.
Meanwhile, firefighters also responded to the fire and extinguished the blaze.
Mr. Bristoe was then placed in handcuffs and informed he'd be charged with arson. He told police that people were stealing from his car, but he thought if he burned it, there would be nothing left to steal.
According to court documents, Mr. Bristoe started the fire by cutting the fuel line, dumping gas and oil onto the car, setting a bandana on fire, and then throwing it into the trunk.
When the cops searched him, they found several packed syringes and a yellow powder he identified as benzodiazepine. He was then booked on arson plus additional charges of unlawful possession of a syringe, hypodermic needle, and controlled substance.
In a similar incident last month, a doctor in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram set his Rs 70 lakh Mercedes-Benz CLA 45AMG luxury car on fire after a fight with his girlfriend