Arsonist with gas can sets fire to 6 cars on Bronx block, injuring infant

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – An infant was injured early Tuesday when a man with a gas can set fire to six cars on a Bronx block in the middle of the night, officials and sources said.

The arsonist struck around 1:50 a.m. along East 174th Street, between Rosedale and St. Lawrence avenues, in the Soundview section, according to the NYPD and FDNY.

Police officers and firefighters responded to reports of six vehicles and a porch on fire in the area. Citizen App video shows multiple cars consumed by flames and smoke on East 174th Street. The air smelled of burning rubber, witnesses said.

A 2-month-old was removed from the scene with smoke inhalation and taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in stable condition, according to police.

A second person was treated at the scene and declined to be taken to a hospital, the FDNY said.

The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction. He was wearing a blue shirt and carrying a gas can, sources told 1010 WINS.

No arrests had been reported as of Tuesday.

The FDNY fire marshals and members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene investigating.

Amadu Bah was also at the scene with his 2010 Toyota Hylander, which was among the vehicles destroyed. He said he relied on the SUV to work as a delivery driver and to take his family around.

Bah said he awoke around 2 a.m. "because of the flame and the smoke."

"I live right here, so I just run and check outside and then I found out this whole car was burning," he said. "And now look what they do here, somebody just have the gas and pour it onto the cars and just turn it into fire. Most of these cars are brand new cars. Nobody did nothing to him. I don’t know why. He just have a bad evening and then he do this to the people.”