Police are searching for a suspect who lit a family’s car on fire overnight in a bizarre act of arson and vandalism in National City.
A father and his daughter were sitting on the front porch of their home in the 300 block of East 2nd Street just before 2 a.m. when a man ran up to their car, which was parked in their driveway. Suddenly, the man threw a brick through the back window, shattering the glass, and then threw a plastic bottle through the busted window.
The bottle contained an unknown substance, police said, which sparked a fire inside the vehicle.
The man then ran away, leaving the family’s car ablaze.
The daughter called 911 while the father grabbed a hose and put out the fire before police and firefighters arrived. His quick thinking prevented the flames from spreading to his home, officials said.
The victims didn’t get a good look at the arson suspect. Police said the man was described as 5-foot-9 with a husky build, wearing a beanie cap. The man fled on foot toward National City Boulevard after the odd incident.
No one was injured. The family’s car mostly sustained damage to the window and trunk. The daughter said they purchased the vehicle just one year ago.
