Camera Catches Would-Be Arsonist as He Sets Wrong Thing on Fire – His Pants – Then Goes Streaking Into Night
A recent incident in Levittown, Long island, involved a novice arsonist who attempted to set fire to a portable toilet, resulting in a humorous yet risky mishap. On December 14, security footage captured the moment the man ignited the toilet, which led to him catching fire himself as he attempted to escape. Witnesses reported seeing a burst of flames and the man running down the street while on fire, trying to extinguish the flames engulfing his lower body.
The incident caused minor damage to the nearby house, but fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, apart from the arsonist himself. Local police are investigating the situation and have released the video in hopes of identifying the man, particularly one who appeared to have sustained burns during the incident. The Wantagh Fire Department responded to the scene to put out the flames. The story, although troubling, has sparked conversations due to the comical nature of the mishap, as observed and recounted by the homeowner’s mother.
A new video shows the pains of being a novice arsonist.
Literally.
Security video near a Long Island home showed what took place on Dec. 14 as a man decided that the world would be enriched by the spectacle of setting a portable toilet on fire, as documented by the New York Post.
A copy of the video was posted to X, which, given the lighting, is worthless for identification purposes but is a handy click away when holiday conversation with the in-laws grinds to a halt.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: News 12 was told a porta potty was set on fire, and a person was seen running away. Police say the person was on fire as they took off. https://t.co/leo0MpuZLG#News12LI #Crime pic.twitter.com/Fh5QRjGYLG
— News12LI (@News12LI) December 18, 2024
The Post noted that the video was released by Nassau County police in hopes of finding someone who might know a man whose legs indicate he had been burned while running away from the vandalism.
The portable toilet was on the lawn of a house in Levittown when the arsonist came in the dark, then lit a spark, and then ran as his pants caught fire.
“You see somebody come out [the toilet door], a big whoosh. A big thing of flames,” Barbara Piccione, the mother of the homeowner, said, according to News12.
“He was running around trying to put his feet out and then he ran down the street and as far as three houses from where the cameras went you saw he was still on fire,” she said.
“There’s some damage to the house. I don’t even know if the siding’s two weeks old, it’s already burnt,” said Piccione.
Police are hoping someone can give them a tip that leads to an arrest.
“We want to know who did this; we want him caught,” Piccione said.
Potty-brained arsonist tries to torch portable toilet but ends up igniting himself and sprinting away in flames: video https://t.co/kWio8zGfAK pic.twitter.com/oi6QWk23rn
— New York Post (@nypost) December 18, 2024
The Wantagh Fire Department extinguished the fire.
The portable toilet was badly burned.
The home suffered minor damage, police said.
Other than whatever burns might have scorched the arsonist, no one was injured in the incident.
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