Hollywood Police Cruiser Torched in Miami-Dade's Hammocks Neighborhood, Arson Investigation Underway

In the Hammocks neighborhood of Miami-Dade County, a marked Hollywood Police Department vehicle was found in flames early this morning. As confirmed by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), deputies arrived at the scene in the 4500 block of Southwest 139th Court shortly after midnight to discover the police cruiser ablaze. The fire, now ruled as an act of arson by authorities, is being investigated by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue investigative unit, according to a WSVN report.

Firefighters, who had arrived on-site around 11:40 p.m. yesterday, managed to extinguish the fire. Shared footage on social media, from local residents depicted the severity of the situation with the car set against the night, illuminating it with roaring flames. In the aftermath, what remained was a scorched patch of ground where the vehicle, a charred shell of itself had stood, according to information from a Local 10 News coverage.

Witnesses were taken aback by the incident, with one stating, "We heard an explosion and we were like 'What happened? Was it inside the house?' and my fiancé, she looked through the window and she saw a car on fire and we got scarred because my sister-in-law normally parks at that spot," Haimlet Jaime told WSVN. A video obtained by a 7News reporter showed someone running from the scene with an object in hand, however, the person in the video has not been named as a suspect since the video does not clearly show this 'subject' igniting the blaze.

Local residents were significantly affected by the suddenness and intensity of the fire, with one neighbor describing to Local 10 News the panic that followed. "We were sleeping," Peter Ospino said, "When we noticed, we woke up super scared. My daughter had anxiety attacks the whole night because she couldn't sleep after seeing it. When she opened her window, she faced the sight of it." Despite the unsettling event, officials have confirmed that there were no injuries related to the fire, which was contained to the single vehicle. The motive and whether the police cruiser was specifically targeted remain under speculation at this time, as stated by Miami-Dade Detective Samantha A. Choon in an email to Local 10 News.