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Queens resident Victor Sanchez-Santa, 19, has been arrested and charged after he was caught on surveillance video attempting to destroy the police car in midtown Manhattan earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.
According to a complaint filed by the Southern District of New York Court, at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, Sanchez-Santa stopped his Honda beside a marked NYPD vehicle on West 42nd Street in Manhattan.
It is alleged that Sanchez-Santa got out of his car, took a cloth glove in his hand, and held the glove to a flame until it ignited.
He then allegedly put the burning glove underneath the NYPD vehicle, and got back into his car, leaving the glove burning beneath the police car as he attempted to flee.
Berman said that quick-acting first responders from the NYPD, FDNY, and ATF managed to control the fire before identifying, locating, and arresting Sanchez-Santa this week.
“As alleged, the defendant selected a clearly marked NYPD vehicle, walked up beside it, started a fire under the vehicle, and fled the scene,” Berman said. “In allegedly doing so, he maliciously targeted law enforcement.
"Arson is also a threat to more than its immediate victim, with the potential to destroy and terrify far beyond the place where a fire is set.”
Sanchez-Santa was arrested on Thursday, June 18, and charged with one count of arson.
If convicted, Sanchez-Santa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years behind bars. No return court date has been announced.
ATF Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito said: “The use of fire as a weapon places our communities at risk and greatly endangers our citizens."
“Torching an NYPD vehicle, as alleged, is not just an isolated crime but a threat to all New Yorkers," Dermot Shea, the NYPD commissioner added.
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