Arsonist Who Burned Cars Sought by Lawrence Cops

Lawrence Township police are working to identify the arsonist and thief who set fire to and stole property from two vehicles and vandalized a third auto at a condominium development off Lawrenceville-Pennington Road.

Although the fires on Shirley Lane damaged the interiors of the two vehicles, both blazes burned themselves out and were not discovered until hours later.

Lt. Charles Edgar, police department spokesman, said it was 9:03 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, when a 52-year-old resident of Carver Place called police to report that he had just discovered that someone had caused more than $1,000 worth of damage to his 2001 Volvo C70 convertible, which was parked in the lot in front of the man’s condo building.

The top of the convertible was sliced, the driver’s side mirror was broken off and the glass of the passenger’s side mirror was smashed, he said. The car’s owner told police he believed the crime happened sometime between 7:30 p.m. Sunday and about 8:30 a.m. on Monday. Nothing appeared to have been stolen from the car, however.

At 9:14 a.m. Monday, a 61-year-old resident of Shirley Lane, in the same development, called police to report that she had just found that the inside of her 2001 Jeep had been damaged by fire.

The woman told police she had gone to the vehicle and found its windows were dark and stained with smoke, Edgar said. When she opened the driver’s door, she saw that part of the driver’s seat and center armrest had been burned, he said. He said police believe the fire went out on its own after it consumed all the oxygen inside the closed vehicle.

Nearly $1,100 worth of property – including a pair of prescription sunglasses and a GPS unit – were stolen from the Jeep, according to Edgar. He said the woman told police the fire and theft must have taken place sometime between 8:30 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday.

The second arson was reported to police at 9:51 a.m. Monday when a 59-year-old resident of Shirley Lane went out to her 2001 Chrysler Sebring convertible and found that a hole had been burned through the convertible top and that the interior of the car had been damaged by fire, Edgar said.

That fire, too, burned itself out before drawing any attention to itself, and the services of township firefighters were not required at either blaze, he said.

Reported as stolen from the Chrysler were a GPS unit and a digital camera with an combined value of about $235, he said. The Chrysler’s owner told police she last saw the car undamaged around 8:10 p.m. Sunday.

Value estimates for the fire damage caused to the two vehicles was not available.

Lawrence Township Detective Kevin Reading Jr. is investigating the crimes, with the assistance of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to call township police at (609) 896-1111.