A silver Chevrolet Impala went up in flames outside a duplex in Hesperia on Monday night, and the suspect remained at large after deputies searched the area. The fire was reported around 7:13 p.m. along Bear Valley Road east of Seventh Avenue, and firefighters managed to knock it down quickly.
According to VVNG, deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department are investigating after a suspect set the Impala on fire outside the duplex and then fled the scene. The fire department requested a fire investigator to respond, a standard step when flames are believed to have been deliberately set rather than accidental.
Gas Can Found Beside the Burned Car
A photo from the scene, obtained by the outlet, shows a red gasoline container sitting on the dirt beside the driver's side of the Impala, a detail that points toward the blaze being intentionally set. Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Gloria Orejel said deputies responded and searched the area once they arrived, but the suspect remained at large. The investigation was still ongoing as of Tuesday, with no update yet on who set the fire or why.
Not the First Hesperia Car Fire This Year
It's not the city's only brush with a suspicious vehicle fire this year. Back in June, KTLA reported that a vehicle fire broke out at a Pilot truck stop in Hesperia while two people were asleep inside. Investigators said 30-year-old Nicole Najlis, of Oregon, was arrested on suspicion of arson and attempted murder after the vehicle's owner told authorities she intentionally set the car ablaze following a dispute during a trip from San Diego to Las Vegas. The two sleeping occupants managed to escape, and no injuries were immediately reported in that case.
There is no indication the two incidents are connected, and investigators have not released a description of the suspect from Monday's duplex fire or said what may have motivated it. For now, anyone with information about the Bear Valley Road fire is asked to call the Hesperia Police Department at 760-947-1500.
