A local organization is seeking the public’s assistance after two cars belonging to its residents were set on fire in their parking lot, with surveillance footage capturing the suspected arsonist.
Ray Gaines is the director of The Faine House in Orlando, an organization that provides housing for young people aging out of foster care.
He said on both Aug. 20 and Aug. 28, vehicles belonging to residents of the facility caught fire in the parking lot.
Gaines said he received a call from a resident whose car was on fire, prompting him to review surveillance footage.
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“Then, the resident whose car was on fire was the one who called me saying, ‘Mr. Ray, my car is on fire, too,’ and then that prompted me to get up and pull up the footage. I saw somebody running away from the car. That’s when I knew that wasn’t a coincidence,” Gaines said.
Gaines described the surveillance video as showing a person kneeling beside the car, appearing to light it on fire.
“You can see them lighting it on fire and when it caught fire. But it wasn’t big enough, so he or she rode off and then came and put some more accelerant on it. That didn’t work, came back again,” Gaines explained.
Gaines plans to hand over the video evidence to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.
“The one whose car caught fire just got a promotion at their job, and now he can’t get to work,” Gaines said. “The other person’s car, same thing. They are looking to get out in the next month or so into their own place, and now they have no vehicle.”
The organization is asking the public to help the two victims whose cars were burned.
“You could have done anything to anybody, but why do it to people that probably need the most help?” Gaines said.
Those interested in donating are encouraged to visit The Faine House’s website at https://thefainehouse.org.
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