Woman set on fire by stranger at St. Pete gas station hospitalized for burns: SPPD
Police: Woman set on fire by stranger at gas station
St. Pete police say a woman walked up to a stranger pumping gas and deliberately lit the pump on fire. The victim is now in the hospital with second-degree burns to her arms and her back. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police say a woman was pumping gas into her car when a stranger came up to her and deliberately ignited gasoline with a lighter in St. Petersburg on Thursday, sending her to the hospital with second-degree burns.
St. Petersburg gas station arson attack
What we know:
A 41-year-old woman was pumping fuel into her Volvo SUV around 8 p.m. Thursday at the Mobil Gas Station located at 101 40th Avenue North, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Police said 41-year-old Eleanor Crawford walked up to the victim and asked to use her phone. The victim let her, and then police say the suspect asked her for money.
SPPD said when the victim replied no, Crawford set the gas nozzle on fire with a lighter.
Courtesy: St. Petersburg Police Department
Police said the woman's car was engulfed in flames and she was seriously injured. Police said the victim suffered second-degree burns on her arms and back and was taken to Tampa General Hospital.
Scotty Gramling said he was parked nearby when it happened. He ran over, helped the victim get into his truck and called 911. Gramling described the scene as a fireball.
Gramling had just called the non-emergency line after he saw Crawford get into some type of altercation across the street. He said it looked like someone was pulling her out of the road, and then it turned into a fight. Gramling said police were already on the way responding to the incident when the fire happened.
Police say Crawford has an extensive record, including several drug and alcohol charges. Officers arrested her a couple of blocks away within 20 minutes.
"I don't know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might've been something that diminished capacity there," Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev said. "Why would she even do something like this."
"It's kind of a unique case because you don't see anything like this, especially something that results in such horrific burns. But they went out there, they worked with the fire department, and luckily they were able to get her stabilized, and she's going to make it," Kovacsev said.
Crawford is facing attempted felony murder and arson charges.
Unprovoked attack under police investigation
What we don't know:
Investigators confirmed that the suspect and the victim had no prior relationship. Police have not determined a motive for the attack as the investigation continues.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official press statements provided by the St. Petersburg Police Department.